The Lanzarote Business Confederation (CEL) urges the Government to take effective measures to seek solutions aimed at curbing labor absenteeism in the Canary Islands, which continues to be a problem, mainly for small and medium-sized companies.
The level of absenteeism in the Canary Islands is at 7.7% of the agreed hours, the second highest percentage in all of Spain after the Basque Country (7.8%), according to the 'Labor Absenteeism Report for the third quarter of 2023', published by the specialized company Randstad. Meanwhile, in the country as a whole, the absenteeism rate has been 6% of the agreed hours.
The president of the CEL, Francisco Martínez, emphasizes that in light of these data, "the Executive, together with the rest of the administrations, must launch strategies agreed upon with the sector to address the problem of labor absenteeism, which fundamentally affects the services sector and SMEs, in a more effective way."
"Labor absenteeism is a challenge for the management of companies, as it requires constant monitoring and the implementation of measures to reduce it because it directly affects productivity, commercial costs, and the competitiveness of companies," explains Martínez.
The CEL points out that the unjustified absence of a worker implies a reduction in the company's production capacity in meeting objectives, in the quality of work, and the delivery of products or services.
Small and medium-sized companies are affected by the direct costs of absenteeism, such as the payment of Social Security for the absent worker, the hiring of temporary personnel, or the redistribution of tasks among available personnel.
In addition, there are other indirect costs, such as loss of productivity, decreased team morale, or the need for training for new employees.
