Lemvig tops Denmark for lowest sick-day rates among public employees

Lemvig municipality in western Jutland has the fewest sick days taken by public sector employees in Denmark, according to figures published by Local Government Denmark (KL), as reported by DR.

Public employees in Lemvig average just 11.7 sick days per year, placing the municipality first in the country. The list, drawn from KL’s “Kend din Kommune” 2026 data, is dominated by mid- and west Jutland municipalities, which consistently record lower absence rates than those in the Zealand region.

Among those reflecting the local pattern is Sally Jensen, a social pedagogue at a residential care home in Lemvig who has taken only 14 sick days in 26 years of employment. Most of those came after she was diagnosed with a brain tumour and was off work for two weeks. “I just think I’m lucky,” she said, adding that she sometimes hears colleagues remark that she is never ill.

Mayor Jens Lønberg of Lemvig, representing the Conservative party, said the result follows years of systematic efforts to reduce absenteeism. “I am both happy and particularly proud that we are where we are. We can really use this,” he said. He noted that the municipality faces budget cuts in coming years due to a declining population, making high attendance among staff especially important.

Lønberg attributed part of the success to flexibility in working arrangements. “If employees have difficulty balancing things at home, we adjust working hours to better suit them. It seems to have an effect. We believe in the principle that people who feel good, do good,” he said.

Per Nikolaj Bukh, professor of management accounting at Aalborg University, said the result is worth noting. “I understand why they are proud. High sick-day rates are harmful both to the municipal economy and to employees,” he said. He acknowledged that the pattern of lower absence in western Jutland compared to Zealand has been observed for several years, but remains difficult to fully explain. “The things Lemvig does, I believe many municipalities work on as well, but it simply does not work equally well everywhere,” he said.

The ten municipalities with the lowest average sick days per public employee per year are: Lemvig (11.7), Læsø (11.7), Samsø (11.8), Rebild (11.9), Fanø (12.0), Skive (12.1), Ringkøbing-Skjern (12.1), Viborg (12.2), Morsø (12.2), and Sønderborg (12.3).