Almost one in five domestic workers were unable to work due to illness in 2023 according to data collected by HR provider Securex and revealed in a report by Gazet Van Antwerpen.
An analysis of data from 81 service voucher companies employing 7,087 individuals showed an average sickness absence rate of 20.18% among domestic workers – more than double the average for other sectors, which stands at 8.21%.
Additionally, Securex flagged a new high in employees off sick for over a year, which accounted for 10.03% of the individuals in the study. “The number of long-term sick in the service voucher sector has risen by 375% since 2012, compared to just 75% across all sectors,” said Steven De Vliegher, a spokesperson for Securex.
XLG Home, the sector’s primary employer in Wallonia and Brussels with nearly 4,000 domestic workers, recently announced an absence rate of around 33%. “This rate has doubled in five years,” shared XLG Home spokesperson, Jerome Paquot.
Trade unions attribute these absences to challenging working conditions and inappropriate equipment. A 2020 study conducted by the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), highlighted by union organisations, found that those working in service voucher roles were 85% more likely to be unable to work and 260% more likely to be on long-term disability within five years of starting in the sector.
