Sickness Benefit Rules and Work Absence : An Empirical Study Based on European Data[Règles d’indemnisation des arrêts maladie et absences au travail : une étude empirique à partir de données européennes]

Using data from the 2010 European Working Conditions Survey, this study explores the determinants of health-related absences from work in European countries. The focus is on the impact of sick leave rules. Five parameters of the sickness benefit system are taken into account: the requirement to produce a doctor's certificate on the first day of absence, the length of the qualifying period, the existence of a waiting period before receipt of benefits, the compensation level, and the duration of benefits. Employees' absence behaviors are analyzed using multilevel logistic regressions. The results show that cross-country differences in the probability of absence are partly attributable to differences in sick leave legislation. The most significant factor is whether employers are required to continue paying full wages in case of illness. As expected, the propensity to be absent is significantly higher in countries where this rule applies.