Social Inequality in the Sick Leave Scheme

The purpose of the project is to generate knowledge and identify knowledge gaps regarding how a potentially modified sick leave scheme may have socially unequal impacts, meaning that some occupational or income groups may be affected more severely than others. The project is based on analyses of existing statistics and literature.

The background is that there are social inequalities in health challenges related to sick leave, workplace health risks, transitions to disability benefits, retirement age, and life expectancy. Consequently, changes in the sick leave scheme will have varying impacts.

Provisions in collective agreements, including those in the public sector and employee agreements in the private sector, create a complex picture, which may both amplify and mitigate the social distribution effects of a change in the sick leave scheme.

In this knowledge summary, we will analyze studies and data that shed light on health-related outcomes linked to work and provide insights into social disparities in who is affected.