Germans call in sick more than 20 days per year on average, much more than workers in other EU countries.
Without the increase in sick days, the German economy could have grown by around 0.5% in 2023, instead of retracting by 0.3%, a study by pharma industry association vfa estimated last year.
It might also be related to the German national sport of faking statistics and wanking over meaningless numbers, because the reporting requirements for sick days have recently changed. Of course, the press will use this to shit on workers’ rights.
Also, being sick is not being lazy.
According to most employers and politicians, (who, surely by sheer coincidence, have never done any honest work in their life) it is.