Sample Detail

The line graph illustrates the proportion of employees who took more sickness-related absences in five different European countries every year between 1991 and 2001. Overall, the percentage of workers in the Netherlands and Sweden recorded a consistent and dramatic rise over the period, while France showed the opposite trend. In addition, the UK and Germany remained relatively stable until the final year. The highest levels of sickness absence were recorded in the Netherlands at around 4.7% in 1991 and increased slightly to 5.5% in the following year. It then fell gradually to exactly 4% in 1996, before spiking sharply to nearly 5.4% at the end of the period. Additionally, Sweden accounted for 3% in 1991 and remained unchanged until 1995. After that, it increased dramatically by 2.7%, reaching 5.7% in 2001 in a distant second place. The UK and Germany followed a similar pattern, they stood at 2.5% and 1.3% respectively. Then both countries witnessed slight fluctuations over the period, before recovering their initial level in 2001. By contrast, the percentage of employees in France, which recorded the lowest proportion. In 1991, it accounted for 5% and climbed negligibly to roughly 5.1% in 1992. Then it dropped steeply to around 3% in 1997, before remaining unchanged until 2001.