On average, workers were absent for 2.45% of working days, or an average of 6.4 days per person. However, the figure topped 3% in three months: January, February and October. Normally only February sees such high figures, in the middle of the flu season.
Swine flu is partly to blame for the increase, the survey says. Some employees were actually infected, while others took preventive leave, as some companies insisted, to avoid contaminating co-workers. Stress is another major factor; last week another survey put the cost of stress to Flemish businesses at €13 billion a year.
The lowest rate of sick leave is in West Flanders at about 2%. Absenteeism has risen by 10% since 2002, the survey showed.
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