The Adecco Group Institute has released its Quarterly Report on absenteeism, workplace injuries, and occupational illnesses, which aims to provide a detailed snapshot of how these variables have evolved in Spain, analyzing their behavior by sectors, economic activities, and autonomous communities, as well as year-over-year changes. This analysis uses official data for the first quarter of 2026.
The absenteeism rate in Spain
From this standpoint, the report concludes that the absenteeism rate in Spain stood at 7.62% in the first quarter of 2026, marking again a year-over-year increase, despite a decline of 0.16 percentage points from the previous quarter. It is worth noting that the rate is 2.21 percentage points above the pre-pandemic level, which was 5.41% in the first quarter of 2019. This gap has persisted for seven consecutive years, with no signs of returning to prior levels. Moreover, it is the highest figure ever recorded for a first quarter in the entire historical series.
Meanwhile, the absenteeism rate due to Temporary Disability (the most significant) in the first quarter of 2026 has been 5.9%.
“The pressure on absenteeism continues to be explained by the incidence and duration of medical leave processes, linked to the aging of the workforce, the growing weight of mental health, and the average duration of temporary disability,” notes Carlos Arcas, director of The Adecco Group Institute.
Absenteeism by autonomous communities
When we focus on each autonomous community, the Basque Country remains the autonomous community with the highest absenteeism rate, at 9.9%, followed this time by the Canary Islands, at 9.4%, and Asturias, at 9.3% (+0.8 percentage points year over year).
By contrast, the lowest absenteeism rates are recorded in the Balearic Islands, at 6.2%, and the Community of Madrid, at 6.5%. Next is La Rioja, with a rate of 6.7%.
As with the national level, the growth of the absenteeism rate extends to most autonomous communities, since 12 of the 17 report year-over-year increases. By territory, rates range from 6.2% in the Balearic Islands to 9.9% in the Basque Country (a 3.7 percentage-point difference).
Asturias is the community where absenteeism rises the most, while La Rioja records the greatest reduction.
Absenteeism by sectors
In the first quarter of 2026, the Industry continues to have the highest overall rate at 7.92%, followed by Services, which records roughly the national average. The Construction shows the lower reading (6.30%) but is the one that accelerates the most in year-over-year terms.
If we analyze only absenteeism due to temporary disability, Industry again tops the list, with a rate of 6.08%. Next come Services with 5.94%, and Construction with 5.09%.
If we examine the year-over-year evolution since 2019, we are looking at a non-return dynamic. In 2019 absenteeism hovered at moderate and stable levels, around 5.5% overall, with the Construction sector far from the national average. But starting in 2020, the data began an upward trend across all sectors that has not been corrected.
In 2025 the annual average reached historical highs (7.61%), and the start of 2026 does not correct the trend: the first-quarter rate (7.62%) is the highest in the series. Industry leads (7.92%), Services mirrors the average (7.68%), and Construction, traditionally the sector with the lowest absenteeism, continues to narrow the gaps (6.30%). Absenteeism is not a short-term problem: it has been part of a long-term trend for seven years.
On the other hand, when cross-referencing data by sector and autonomous community, in Industry the highest absenteeism rates are recorded in Asturias, at 9.9%, Canary Islands, at 9.6%, and Basque Country, at 9.5%.
At the other end, the lowest levels of absenteeism in industry are found in the Balearic Islands, with 5.1%; the Community of Madrid, with 6.7%; and Andalusia and Castile-La Mancha, both at 7.0%.
In the Construction sector, the highest rates correspond to Asturias, at 8.1%, Canary Islands, at 7.8%, and Andalusia, at 7.7%.
Conversely, the lowest levels for the construction sector are recorded in the Balearic Islands, with 3.2%, Castile and León, with 4.9%, and the Community of Madrid and Castile-La Mancha, both with 5.0%.
Finally, in the Services sector, the Basque Country shows the highest absenteeism rate, at 10.3%, followed by the Canary Islands, at 9.5%, and Asturias, at 9.4%. The lowest rates are found in La Rioja, at 6.2%, and in the Balearic Islands and the Community of Madrid, both at 6.6%.
Absenteeism in economic activities
If we focus on specific activity divisions, it is possible to identify the 10 activities with the highest absenteeism rates and the 10 that record the lowest levels.
The highest absenteeism rate is for “Postal and courier activities” at 13.77%, followed by “Gambling and betting activities,” at 13.02%, and “Building services and gardening activities,” at 12.37%.
By contrast, “Employment-related activities” is the one with the lowest rate, at 3.01%, followed by “Publishing” and “Legal and accounting activities,” at 3.66%.
Workplace injury statistics
The data included in this report were compiled from official figures of the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy’s Occupational Accident Statistics (ATR) and from the Ministry of Employment and Social Security’s AFI (Affiliation of Workers to the Social Security System). Based on this foundation, a detailed analysis of the incidence and workplace accidents by sex and age, severity, autonomous community, sector, section, and division of economic activity has been conducted.
When analyzing the number of accidents, in the first quarter there were 122,588 accidents during working hours and 21,245 commuting accidents. This yields an incidence rate of 195 workplace accidents per 100,000 workers insured under the Social Security system.
Regarding severity, 99.2% of on-the-job accidents are classified as minor, with 121,627 cases, while among commuting accidents minor cases represent 99%, with 21,030 cases. Fatal workplace accidents during working hours account for only 0.1% of the total, with 146 cases.
By age groups, younger workers, aged 16 to 19, show the highest incidence of leave-related accidents during working hours, with an index of 402 for men and 152 for women.
In terms of activity sectors, Construction records the highest incidence of workplace accidents, with 426 per 100,000 workers insured. Following are Industry, with 345, and the Agricultural sector, with 289. Services shows the lowest incidence, with 148.
Finally, by autonomous community, the highest workplace accident rates are recorded in Navarre, with an incidence of 321 accidents during working hours per 100,000 workers insured, La Rioja, with 258, and Castile-La Mancha, with 256.
At the opposite end, the lowest incidence levels are in the Community of Madrid, with 155 accidents, Catalonia, with 167, and the Canary Islands, with 192.
