Spain’s debate over sick leave and workplace absenteeism intensified after Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the Partido Popular, proposed that employees on medical leave should not receive full pay. Speaking at a business forum in the Basque Country, Feijóo called the rising rate of temporary incapacity a “cancer” for the Spanish economy. He argued that collective agreements should stop supplementing salaries during sick leave.
Feijóo’s remarks echo demands from Spain’s basic employers’ association, CEOE. Its president, Antonio Garamendi, recently warned that national labour agreements may stall unless sick leave rules are tightened. Feijóo argued that paying workers the same amount while they are absent as when they are at work undermines the system. He also criticised what he sees as insufficient oversight by public administrations, saying the current approach encourages unjustified absences.
The opposition leader said that, if elected, he would push to reform sick leave regulations, with or without agreement from unions and employers. He cited his previous experience managing absenteeism at Insalud and Correos, claiming high rates often indicate fraud. Feijóo argued that Spain cannot afford to spend over €30 billion annually on this issue. He cited figures showing 1.2 million people on medical leave daily, a number highlighted in a Randstad study based on INE data.
Government officials and unions responded swiftly. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez criticised Feijóo’s language and stance, stressing the need to protect workers when they are ill. Labour Minister Yolanda Díaz echoed that view, warning against policies that would leave vulnerable employees less protected. Major unions, including UGT and CC OO, condemned Feijóo’s comments as disrespectful to social dialogue. They accused him of conflating legitimate sick leave with absenteeism, rejected the presumption of widespread fraud and defended the current system of negotiated sick-pay supplements.
Under Spain’s ordinary temporary-incapacity rules, workers with a common illness or non-work accident generally receive no statutory benefit for the first three days. The benefit is normally 60% of the regulatory base from day four through day 20, rising to 75% from day 21. Collective agreements or employer policies may supplement those amounts, sometimes bringing pay closer to a worker’s full salary. That is the mechanism Feijóo’s proposal targets. Rules are more protective for occupational accidents and illnesses. For common illness, the employer pays the benefit from day four through day 15; from day 16, responsibility shifts to the National Social Security Institute (INSS) or a collaborating mutual insurer.
The payment channel does not always show who ultimately bears the cost. Under the delegated-payment system, an employer may advance the benefit through payroll and later offset it against Social Security contributions. Temporary-incapacity costs include statutory benefits and employer advances. They may also include top-ups under collective agreements, so a headline total does not by itself represent direct wage expenditure by employers alone. Employers and business groups have called for Social Security to assume costs earlier and cover replacement contracts, arguing that the current system is unsustainable.
Temporary incapacity is a legally defined Social Security status, subject to medical and administrative oversight, rather than simply an employer-approved absence. The ordinary benefit may run for up to 365 days and can be extended by a further 180 days when recovery is expected. At 545 days, the ordinary subsidy ends while the INSS assesses whether permanent incapacity may exist. In specified circumstances, that assessment process can extend the overall period toward a maximum of 730 days.
Official data show that public spending on temporary incapacity reached €18.4 billion in 2025, making it the second-largest item in the Social Security budget after pensions. Companies contributed an additional €17 billion, information from CEOE. The prevalence of sick leave has more than doubled since 2012, reaching 53.7 cases per 1,000 employees in 2025, up from 19.1 in 2012. The trend has accelerated since the pandemic. Unions and analysts point to delayed primary care and more protective regulations among the factors; they also cite improved collective agreements.
The Independent Authority for Fiscal Responsibility (Airef) identified several reasons for the increase. These include a lack of process oversight and more generous legal frameworks, as well as economic cycles. Rising demand for primary care and longer waiting lists also contribute. Unions say strengthening the public health system is impressive to address the root causes, a view now shared by some business leaders. The government continues to seek a compromise between unions and employers, but consensus remains elusive.
A separate Social Security reform announced by the Spanish government on 20 October 2026 created special temporary-incapacity protections for incapacitating menopause-related conditions and injuries suffered by women victims of gender violence. Under those provisions, there is no minimum contribution requirement. The employer pays the full wage for the first day; the benefit begins the following day at 60% of the regulatory base through day 20 and 75% thereafter. The measure applies to those designated special cases and does not change the ordinary payment scale for common illness.
Spain’s debate over sick-leave rules comes as other regions pursue major policy shifts. Catalonia recently invested in digital infrastructure to secure citizen data, as reported in the coverage of Catalonia’s public cloud initiative. Both issues highlight tensions between cost control and social protection in the country’s developing policy field.
Spain’s approach to sick leave is among the more protective in Europe, but the rapid rise in cases and costs has put pressure on policymakers. Any impressive change to the system would affect workers and employers, as well as public finances, making this a central issue for the coming political cycle.
