The national average has risen by two tenths of a percentage point to 7.2 per cent in Q1 26. By region, the Basque Country leads the national absenteeism figures with 9.4 per cent of agreed hours. It is followed by Asturias (9.1 per cent) and the Canary Islands (8.9 per cent). At the other end of the scale, the Community of Madrid is surpassed only by the Balearic Islands, which recorded the lowest absence rate in the country at 5.9 per cent.
Reported by Consejeros Editorial Team
According to the ‘Absenteeism Report for the first quarter of 2026’, compiled by Randstad Research using data from the National Statistics Institute’s (INE) Quarterly Labour Cost Survey, the overall absenteeism rate stood at 7.2 per cent of agreed working hours, representing an increase of two tenths of a percentage point compared with the previous year.
The figures for the whole country show that, on average each day, 1,602,889 people did not turn up for work, of whom 1,240,138 were on sick leave. This means that more than 362,000 people were absent each day for non-medical reasons, accounting for 22.6 per cent of the national total.
“The data show an upward trend in workplace absenteeism since 2019. The increase is most significant when measured in terms of sick leave, the sector-wide average for which has risen markedly over the last ten years. This trend highlights the need to closely analyse its impact on business activity, productivity and the competitiveness of our labour market,” says Valentín Bote, director of Randstad Research.
By autonomous community, the Basque Country leads the national absenteeism figures for the first quarter of 2026, accounting for 9.4 per cent of agreed working hours. It is followed by Asturias (9.1 per cent) and the Canary Islands (8.9 per cent). At the other end of the scale, the Community of Madrid is surpassed only by the Balearic Islands, which recorded the lowest absenteeism rate in the country at 5.9 per cent.
In terms of trends, the largest year-on-year increases across the country were seen in Asturias (up one percentage point to 9.1%), Andalusia (up six tenths of a percentage point to 7.0%) and Aragon (up five tenths of a percentage point to 7.6%). By contrast, La Rioja and the Canary Islands recorded a favourable trend this quarter, with a reduction of two tenths of a percentage point each in their overall rates. Madrid’s overall absenteeism rate remained stable this quarter.
