Workplace absenteeism in Spain reached 7.6% of agreed working hours in 2025, with an estimated economic impact of €59.109 billion, information from figures attributed to The Adecco Group Institute and based on official labour-market statistics. Related reports put the full-year rate at 7.68% and the fourth-quarter rate at 7.88%; the small differences reflect rounding and reporting periods. The institute estimates that medical leave accounted for about 78% of absenteeism, equal to an average loss of 10.9 working hours per employee each month.
Other estimates use different measures. The Spanish Confederation of Business Organisations (CEOE), as reported by Agencia EFE, put the number of people absent from work each day at 1.7 million, including about 1.5 million on temporary incapacity leave for common contingencies. It also reported 9.2 million sick-leave spells during 2025, equal to 7.2% of the active population, excluding permissions and other leave. These counts are not directly comparable with a rate based on lost agreed working hours. CEOE estimated the cost of common-contingency absences at €33 billion, split between about €16 billion for Social Security and €17 billion for employers. That is a narrower calculation than the broader estimate of €59.109 billion.
Postal and courier activities recorded one of the highest sector-level rates: 13.28% in the fourth quarter of 2025, compared with 8.34% in industry, according to figures attributed to The Adecco Group Institute. Other sector reporting put the postal-sector rate at 12.6%, using a different dataset or reporting period. These figures point to a high level of absence across the sector, but do not establish misconduct by individual Correos employees.
At Correos, concerns about unjustified absences have drawn attention. Employee accounts describe colleagues leaving their posts during working hours and, in some cases, returning with undelivered mail. The claims do not apply universally. The issue also came up on the television program Y ahora Sonsoles Verano, where a Correos worker said some staff took multiple unauthorized breaks in a day. The account has focused attention on the distinction between alleged misuse of work time and legitimate medical or other authorized leave.
Absence-related concerns also reflect health and workplace pressures. Rosa Santos, director of Employment, Diversity and Social Protection at CEOE, said delays in care and insufficient healthcare resources can keep workers from recovering as quickly as they otherwise might: “First, we have a health problem; if there are waiting lists or a lack of resources, workers do not recover in the time they need to recover.” CEOE has called for stronger monitoring of sick leave for common contingencies. Separately, Adecco-related reporting says mental-health sick leave rose 111% over five years. A study of more than 3,000 workers cited in that coverage attributed 70% of absences to personal, family or emotional circumstances. These workforce-wide figures do not establish why any individual employee is absent.
Staffing shortages can also disrupt postal services without indicating unauthorized absence. In Monforte, local reporting on a complaint by the CSIF union said nearly 60% of delivery posts were uncovered. The gaps were attributed to retirements, medical leave, holidays and personal days. This shows why operational pressures and individual allegations need to be distinguished when assessing service performance.
Reports describe stricter workplace monitoring, including private investigators and geolocation systems at Correos. Across Spain, employers are reviewing oversight and absence-management practices as pressure grows to maintain services and control costs. Social Security expenditure on temporary incapacity benefits was reported at €18,413.27 million in 2025, up 11.84% year on year, according to provisional budget-execution data cited in Spanish economic coverage. That public-benefit spending is separate from the estimated economy-wide cost of absenteeism and is not specific to Correos.
Spain’s absenteeism figures point to a broad labour-market challenge, affecting productivity and public finances while disrupting impressive services. National and sector-level rates provide context for the pressures facing postal operations, while claims about individual conduct require separate consideration. Responses involve employers, unions and policymakers, with attention to staffing and health-related leave as well as workplace controls.
