Employees in Germany’s leading federal agencies miss work because of illness at a higher rate than the national average. In 2024, workers in the highest-ranking federal bodies reported an average of 15.2 sick days, while employees in lower‑level agencies averaged 21.1 days. For comparison, the overall national average for 2024 was 14.8 days.
The most pronounced absenteeism was seen at the Federal Council (Bundesrat), which recorded 25.2 sick days on average, followed by the Bundestag with 22.3 days. By contrast, staff at the Federal Ministry for the Environment reported only 7.4 sick days.
Amid these figures, the CDU decided at its party congress to reinstate a ban on telephone sick‑note issuance. The proposal was rejected by SPD parliamentary manager Dirk Wiese.
