Pakistanis in Germany Must Now Have a Doctor’s Note to Take Sick Leave from Work

Workers in Germany will now have to provide a doctor’s certificate from the first day of illness under new reforms aimed at tightening the country’s sick leave rules.

The change means employees will no longer be able to simply call in sick without immediate medical documentation, as the government moves to scrap phone-based sick notes and impose stricter requirements on workplace absences.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the decision was necessary to address rising sick leave and reduce pressure on the country’s struggling economy.

He said Germany could no longer afford what he described as unusually high levels of sick leave in companies, adding that prolonged absences had become a competitive disadvantage.

Under Germany’s previous system, workers were allowed up to six weeks of paid sick leave for a single illness. If an employee later suffered from a different illness, the six-week paid leave period could begin again. That was in addition to the paid vacation time many employees already receive.

The tougher sick leave policy marks a major shift for a country long seen as one of Europe’s most worker-friendly economies, with strong labor protections and generous leave benefits.

Alongside the changes to sick leave, Germany has also approved wider labor and economic reforms, including a gradual increase in the retirement age from 65 to 67 and greater flexibility for employers to hire short-term workers.

The government says the measures are part of a broader effort to revive the economy, which has faced pressure since the COVID pandemic and has also been affected by the fallout from the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Reports in German media said workers in the country were taking an average of 14.8 sick days a year, a figure that helped fuel the debate over abuse of the system.

However, the new policy has also triggered concern in the medical community. Some doctors have warned that requiring sick workers to obtain certificates from day one could place an extra burden on clinics and worsen pressure on Germany’s healthcare system.

The reform is expected to affect all workers in Germany, including foreign employees and migrant communities, as the country moves toward a stricter model for paid sick leave.