Sick leave among employees at Dutch municipalities climbed to 7.1 percent in 2025, according to figures released Tuesday by A&O fonds Gemeenten. The organization said the absenteeism rate has reached its highest level in over two decades. The productivity loss linked to roughly 15,000 absent municipal employees amounts to an estimated one billion euros in value. To cover the shortfall, local governments are increasingly relying on costly external consultants and freelance professionals.