Germany news: Over 60s take month of sick leave per year

In total, workers took an average of 15 days off per year due to sickness. Meanwhile, carneval season is beginning in the Rhineland. DW has more.

Year-on-year inflation for October dropped down slightly to 2.8% after reaching 3.3% in September, according to preliminary figures from the Federal Office of Statistics (Destatis). Record high prices for gas and diesel pushed up inflation in September but this was brought down thanks to government subsidy for consumers at the gas pump that was introduced in October. "The main factor behind the persistently high inflation rate remained the trend in energy prices, even though the fuel subsidy, which was reintroduced in early October, may have tempered inflation somewhat," Destatis President Ruth Brand said.

German workers aged between 60 and 65 took an average of 31.3 days of sick leave per year, based on data from 2024 released by the Health Ministry in response to a question posed by the Left party in the Bundestag. The number of 60 to 65-year-olds who have taken a year or more off for sick leave has also increased in recent years.