The graph compares the reasons for absenteeism in a European country in terms of their illness, stress, personal needs, family responsibilities, and unexpected problems in 2000, 2005 and 2010.
Overall, while illness remained the leading cause of absenteeism, stress and unexpected problems became more prominent over time.
With regards to the most common reason in all three years, illness peaked at around 45% in 2000 before declining slightly to roughly 40% in 2005 and 2010. It is also clear that family responsibilities were a major factor in 2000, affecting nearly 30% of respondents, but declined in subsequent years. Personal needs accounted for about 15% in 2000 but it experienced an upward trend in 2005 before slightly decreasing in 2010.
In terms of Stress, the least frequent cause, showed a gradual growth over time. Similarly, although unexpected problems, such as transport and weather issues, were relatively low in the first year, it increased steadily reaching around 18 % in 2010.