Social-insurer Socialna poistovna (SP) continues to make progress in combating fraudulent sick leave absences, Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Minister Erik Tomáš (Hlas-SD) announced on Tuesday. He added that the number of such cases continued to fall in the first half of this year, and, as a result, the proportion of people on sick leave has fallen below the 3-percent mark for the first time.
The Minister noted that these results stem from stricter rules that came into force in January 2025. He pointed out that public finances have already saved €144 million as a result.
When the first six months of this year are compared with the same period of last year, the number of sick leave cases has fallen by an average of 12,000 per month. The difference is even more pronounced when compared with 2024, i.e. the period before the legislative changes were introduced. "On average, compared with 2024, we've seen a monthly reduction of 23,000 sick leave cases," he stressed.
According to Tomáš, the changes have also had a positive impact on public finances. A comparison of the first half-years of 2025 and 2026 shows savings of €72 million, and compared with 2024 the savings amount to €144 million. "The state saves money by not paying out sickness benefits; it then saves more because people return to work, pay social security and health-insurance contributions, and pay taxes. That's the positive impact on public finances. If we continue at this rate, we'll save the state almost €300 million in 2026 when compared with 2024," said the Minister.
Source: TASR
