These statistics aim to reflect sickness absence during the sick-pay period, which consists of the first 14 days of sickness absence, during which employers pay sick pay. This survey, together with social insurance statistics, provides a description of changes in sickness absence. The principal client for these statistics is the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, together with the Ministry of Finance and the Social Insurance Agency.

Instructions (pdf)

Date file description (pdf)

The survey is presented monthly.

I’ve lost my login details - what should I do?

Easiest is to contact us by e-mail at sus@scb.se. You can also call us at 010-479 60 65. Please remember to provide your company registration number when contacting us.

Why did I receive a reminder?

Most often, you will receive reminders when you have failed to submit data for the month in question or else submitted data shortly before a reminder was sent.

Reporting months are often confused, since respondents must report data with one month’s delay. Reminders for, e.g., February entail that we require data for the month of February.

Why are qualifying-period days included even though no compensation is paid by the company?

The sick-pay period includes all calendar days during the period of sickness, while compensation days represent days on which the employee would have worked.

Does working days include compensation days, or just days away from work?

The sick-pay period includes all calendar days during the period of sickness, while compensation days represent days on which the employee would have worked.

An employee working part-time (50%) has been sick two days. Should this be reported as two days, or as one, since two days at 50% make one full day?

An employee working part-time (50%) who has been sick two days should be reported as two compensation days. This applies even for employees who go home on the first day, and regardless of whether they work full- or part-time.

What month do I click on to report backlog for a given month?

Du Select the specific month you wish to report data for. E.g., if you receive March sickness-absence data on 25 April, it must be reported in March even if it is currently April.

If I don't have any employees that have been sick, do I have to answer for that month?

Yes, if no employees have been sick during the month, we still want your answer. If you submit information via Statistics Sweden's web-based data-collection tool, you only answer "Nej" to the question “Har någon anställda varit sjuk med sjuklön eller varit sjuk med karensavdrag under X månad" and press send. If you submit information via SFTP, you send in a file that only contains your company registration number (PeOrgNr), since the SFTP file cannot be completely empty.

For how long will my company be included in the survey?

Each survey sample period lasts for six months. If you have been selected for a sampling group, you are less likely to be selected for subsequent samples. Samples are updated in April and in October.

Public sector actors and companies with more than 199 employees in the Business Register are subject to census collection, and they report continuously. 

Must I respond to the survey?

Yes. This survey imposes a duty to provide information, which means that, pursuant to the Act on Official Statistics (2001:99), sampled companies must provide data. This survey is a sample survey, meaning that a sample of companies is surveyed to represent all companies in Sweden. Your responses to the survey can’t be replaced with anyone else's, so it is crucial that you respond to the survey. High rates of non-response, which refers to companies who fail to provide data, can skew the statistics.

What are my data used for?

The principal client for these statistics is the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, together with the Ministry of Finance and the Work Environment Authority. Together with other data, these statistics are used to describe the state of ill-health in Sweden and its development over time. The statistics are also used to develop prognoses regarding how political changes or decisions may impact the State budget.

Can I be reimbursed for submitting my company’s data?

No. Submitting information is a legal obligation for companies and organisations, and no one receives compensation. Neither Statistics Sweden nor any other public authority has been granted funds to compensate companies for submitting data to official statistics.  

Monthly results are published each quarter, four times a year, approximately eight weeks after the final monthly measurement. The results are published on Employments (scb.se).

Data are submitted monthly via the website or FTP. Sending a data file via the internet is simplest. Usernames and passwords can be found in the monthly mailing, or by contacting us. The duty to provide information is regulated according to the Act on Official Statistics (2001:99) and the Regulation on Official Statistics (SCB-FS 2023:20). The Board of Swedish Industry and Commerce for Better Regulation (NNR), the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR) and the Better Regulation Council have been consulted.

Data submitted to Statistics Sweden are subject to confidentiality pursuant to Chapter 24, Section 8 of the Public Access to Information and Secrecy Act (2009:400). No individuals or workplaces will be identifiable in published statistics.