The number of employees calling in sick due to stress-related complaints continues to increase. In five years, stress-related absenteeism has increased by 36 percent. Between July 2024 and June 2025 alone, it rose by 8 percent, according to the latest figures from several renowned occupational health services.
According to these occupational health services, one in four sick days in the Netherlands can now be traced back to stress. Not only that: the duration of absenteeism is also becoming increasingly longer. Employees who drop out due to stress are, on average, unable to work or only partially deployable for 252 days. In the case of a burnout, this can rise to an average of ten months.
The causes of stress are rarely straightforward. It often involves a mix of work pressure, personal circumstances, and social influences, such as the constant expectation to always be available. Life stages and trends also play a role in this.
Stress-related absenteeism is particularly high in the healthcare sector. Women are affected more often than men: on average, 31 percent of their sick days are stress-related, compared to 20 percent for men. Part-time employees also call in sick more frequently (27 percent) than full-time employees (24 percent). The total absenteeism rate rose slightly from 4.7 to 4.8 percent.
Occupational health services are sounding the alarm and pointing to the social impact of this development. They emphasize that more attention to prevention, early detection, and cooperation between involved parties is urgently needed. Entrepreneurs, both large and small, are also feeling the pressure of increasing absenteeism costs.
