The coronavirus pandemic is over, but increased sickness is not. In many developed economies, more working people are reporting illnesses that limit the amount or type of work they can do than pre-pandemic. More sick days are being taken, too. German executives warn high absenteeism is compounding the country’s competitiveness problems; in September, Tesla bosses resorted to snap home visits to check up on absent employees at its Berlin plant. In Norway, workers called in sick in the second quarter more than at any time in the past 15 years.
新冠疫情已经过去，但疾病增加的情况并未结束。在许多发达经济体，与疫情爆发前相比，有更多的上班族因生病而限制了工作的数量或类型。病假也在增加。德国高管警告说，高缺勤率正在加剧该国的竞争力问题；9月份，特斯拉公司的老板对其柏林工厂的缺勤员工进行了突击家访。在挪威，第二季度工人请病假的人数超过了过去15年的任何时候。
In the UK, official figures estimated a record 185.6mn working days were lost through sickness absence in 2022, for reasons including minor illnesses, musculoskeletal problems and mental health conditions. Post-pandemic healthcare backlogs are partly responsible. Last year some 3.7mn working-age people were in work with a “work-limiting” condition — up 1.4mn in 10 years. The rate of work-limiting conditions has grown fastest among young workers, with sharp increases in reported mental ill health.
在英国，官方数据估计，2022年因病缺勤损失的工作日将达到创纪录的1.856亿个，原因包括轻微疾病、肌肉骨骼问题和心理健康状况。疫情后的医疗保健积压是部分原因。去年，约有370万劳动适龄人口处于“工作限制”状态，10年间增加了140万人。年轻工人的工作受限率增长最快，报告的心理健康问题也大幅增加。