The line chart illustrates the number of workers absent due to illness in different countries, namely the Netherlands, France, Sweden, the UK, and Germany, from 1991 to 2001.
Overall, there were fluctuations in the rate of workers taking leave from work due to illness in all countries examined. Notably, the figures for the Netherlands were generally the highest over the period, while those of Germany were the lowest.
Looking at countries that had significant changes in the proportion of workers taking sick days, the figure for the Netherlands started at just under 5% (second place among the five countries) in 1991. It then experienced a rapid rise to its peak at 5.5%, overtaking France for first place. This was followed by a gradual decline to just over 4%, before rebounding to end the period at 5.5%. Despite a slight increase from 5% in 1991 to 5.1% in 1992, France lost its first position in that year and then decreased progressively to around 3% in 1996, remaining at that level until the end of the period. Meanwhile, the figure for Sweden hovered around 3.1% until 1996, after which it surpassed Sweden to take second place, followed by considerable growth to 4.7% in 2001.
As for countries with negligible changes, around 2% of the workforce from both the UK and Germany were off from work for a day or more due to sickness in 1991. These two countries saw a contrasting trend. While the former experienced an upward fluctuation to end the period at just under 5%, the latter fluctuated downwardly, ending the period at about 1.8%.