The provided lines chart delineates the proportion of workers who were absent due to illness for a day or more in five European nations during the period from 1991 to 2001.
Overall, the absenteeism rates in the Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK showed an upward trajectory, while France and Germany experienced a decline in the number of workers taking sick leave. Notably, the Netherlands had the highest absenteeism rate among the five countries in 2001.
In 1991, France had the highest absenteeism rate at 5%, which significantly decreased to around 3% between 1992 and 1996, remaining stable for the subsequent five years. Meanwhile, Sweden maintained a consistent absenteeism rate of over 3% initially and peaked at 5% in 2001.
On the contrary, the UK and Germany had lower absenteeism rates of 2% in 2001, which was less than half of the rates in the Netherlands and France. The UK saw a slight increase to just below 3% over the following years, while Germany witnessed a slight decline to below 2% during the same period.