[Long-term release from work]

Exemptions from work of long duration have a considerable portion in sickness figure. Almost the half of absentee rate due to illness results out of exemptions from work with a duration of more than four weeks. The main portion of sickness figure results from cases of unfitness for work with a duration until of half a year. Cases of unfitness for work of yet longer duration are very seldom (0.5%). The absentee rate due to illness implied by these amounts to 10.6%. Corrected figures are estimated to take into consideration the longer payment of sickness benefit in the GDR (78 weeks), in comparison to the sickness figures of other socialist countries who suspend the payment of sickness benefit already after 26 weeks (CSSR 52 weeks).