The average rate of workplace absenteeism in Spain reached 7.76% in the second quarter, which represents an increase of a little more than one tenth compared with the three previous months and an advance of nearly three tenths compared with the same period of 2025, according to the latest quarterly report on absenteeism prepared by The Adecco Group Institute.
The study specifies that this level of absences is 2.26 points above that recorded before the pandemic (2019) and constitutes the third highest figure of the thirty quarters analyzed in the historical series.
Only the second quarter of 2020 (8.83%), coinciding with the lockdown, and the fourth quarter of 2025 (7.78%) are higher, as Adecco has indicated.
In accumulated terms, the average for the first half of 2026 stood at 7.69%, above the annual average for 2025 (7.61%), the year that set the historical record maximum.
According to the report, 60% of the year-on-year increase in absenteeism in the second quarter was due to sick leave due to temporary incapacity (IT), whose rate rose from 5.88% to 6.04% (+0.16 percentage points).
The rest of the increase corresponded to the partially manageable component (NO-IT), which advanced by one tenth, to 1.72%, and accounted for 22.2% of total absenteeism. Compared with the previous quarter, this NO-IT component practically did not change, so the upturn is explained by IT.
Industry concentrates the highest absenteeism rate
By sector, industry recorded the highest absenteeism rate, at 8.32% (+0.28 percentage points year-on-year), ahead of services, at 7.79% (+0.25 percentage points).
Construction had the lowest percentage, at 6.3%, although it was the sector with the biggest deterioration in the year-on-year comparison (+0.38 percentage points).
If temporary incapacity is analyzed alone, industry recorded a rate of 6.32% (+0.12 percentage points compared with 2025), services 6.06% (+0.16 percentage points) and construction 5.17% (+0.22 percentage points).
By line of activity, the highest rates of absence occurred in "Postal and courier activities", with 13.26%, followed by "Building services and gardening activities" (12.83%) and "Gambling and betting activities" (12.60%).
On the other side, the lowest rates were found in "Employment-related activities" (2.70%), "Legal and accounting activities" (3.58%), and "Programming, consulting, and other activities related to information technology" (3.95%).
Canarias tops regional absenteeism and Balearic Islands closes the table
By autonomous communities, Adecco points out that the trend was mostly upward: 13 of the 17 regions worsened their rate compared with the second quarter of 2025, two remained unchanged—Basque Country (9.5%) and Castilla-La Mancha (7.3%)—and only two reduced their level: Galicia (8.8%; -0.1 percentage points) and Cantabria (9.1%; -0.8 percentage points).
Canarias recorded the highest absenteeism percentage in the country, at 9.6% (+0.3 percentage points), followed by Asturias, with 9.5% (+0.8 percentage points, the largest deterioration together with Extremadura), and Basque Country (9.5%).
At the other end were Balearic Islands (5.9%; +0.1 percentage points), the Community of Madrid (6.8%; +0.3 percentage points), and La Rioja (6.9%; +0.4 percentage points).
With regard to IT, Canarias also showed the highest regional rate (8.4%; +0.3 percentage points), followed by Asturias (8.1%; +1.1 percentage points, the largest increase) and Basque Country (7.3%; -0.2 percentage points).
The lowest rates for temporary incapacity occurred in Balearic Islands (4.7%; -0.1 percentage points), Madrid (5.2%; +0.2 percentage points), and La Rioja (5.3%; +0.1 percentage points).
Workplace accidents slightly reduce incidence during working hours
As for workplace accidents, the Adecco report states that the incidence of work accidents that occurred during working hours in the second quarter stood at 213 cases per 100,000 affiliates and month, which represents a 0.2% drop compared with the same period of the previous year.
In absolute terms, the quarter closed with 160,020 work accidents with sick leave (+2.36% year-on-year).
Of these, those occurring during working hours totaled 137,059 (+2.26%), while "in itinere" accidents increased by 2.99%, to 22,961.
With regard to fatal accidents, those occurring during working hours decreased by 12.20%, from 164 to 144 deaths, while deaths "in itinere" rose by 18.92%, to 44 victims compared with 37 in the previous year.
Heart attacks, strokes, and natural causes were the main cause of death on the day, with 54 cases (-21.74%), while deaths due to entrapment, crushing, and amputations rose by 47.62%, from 21 to 31.
By sector, deaths on the day fell in industry (-42.31%, to 15), in the agricultural sector (-28.57%, to 15), and in services (-7.04%, to 66), while construction was the only area in which they increased (+4.35%, from 46 to 48 deaths).
Lastly, Navarra recorded the highest accident incidence rate on the day by community, with 333 incidents per 100,000 affiliates and month (+9.0%), followed by Baleares (313; +0.2%) and La Rioja (263; +2.6%).
The Community of Madrid showed the lowest incidence, with 158 cases (-1.3%), ahead of Cataluña (198; +1.7%) and Galicia (202; -1.5%).