Work, illness, and health-related leave among nursing workers in Brazil
1
Faculdade de Enfermagem (School of Nursing), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (State University of Campinas), Campinas, Brazil
2
Faculdade de Enfermagem (Nursing College), Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (State University of Rio de Janeiro), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
3
Vice-Presidência de Ambiente, Atenção e Promoção da Saúde (Vice-Presidency for Environment, Care and Health Promotion), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Oswaldo Cruz Foundation), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
4
Faculdade de Economia (Economics College), Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (Federal University of Juiz de Fora), Juiz de Fora, Brazil
5
Escola de Enfermagem (Nursing School), Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (Federal University of Minas Gerais), Belo Horizonte, Brazil
6
Instituto de Medicina Social (Institute of Social Medicine), Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (State University of Rio de Janeiro), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A3771
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Improvements in nursing working conditions have become a priority amidst advancing labor precarization, marked by erosion of rights, work intensification, and declining health. In nursing, these dynamics manifest as work overload, multiple jobs, low wages, and long working hours, leading to physical and mental strain[1]. Health-related leave is therefore an important indicator of working conditions. This study analyzes health-related work leave among nursing workers in Brazil from 2012 to 2021.
METHODS:
Descriptive cross-sectional study using secondary data from the Annual Social Information Report (RAIS), grounded in the historical-social determination approach to the health-disease process[2]. Nursing workers at higher education, technical, and auxiliary levels were included. Leave due to occupational accidents (typical and commuting), work-related diseases, and non-work-related diseases was analyzed descriptively using R software.
RESULTS:
An increase in formal employment in nursing was observed, from 1,249,791 in 2012 to 1,933,204 in 2021, with growth in higher education and technical categories and a reduction among auxiliary workers. During the same period, health-related leave increased from 184,139 to 757,783. Work-related leave (occupational accidents and diseases) rose from 10,304 in 2012 to 23,575 in 2021, representing an increase of 128.95%, while leave due to non–work-related diseases increased by 322.26%. A growing non-recognition of the causal nexus between work and health/illness was also observed: in 2012, there were 16.87 non–work-related leaves for each work-related leave, a ratio that rose to 31.14 in 2021.
CONCLUSIONS:
The increase in health-related leave reflects the worsening of work strain, intensified by labor reforms, new forms of employment, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The systematic under-recognition of work-related illness conceals the true burden of occupational health problems in nursing, highlighting critical gaps in labor protection, surveillance systems, and policies promoting healthy working environments.
Improvements in nursing working conditions have become a priority amidst advancing labor precarization, marked by erosion of rights, work intensification, and declining health. In nursing, these dynamics manifest as work overload, multiple jobs, low wages, and long working hours, leading to physical and mental strain[1]. Health-related leave is therefore an important indicator of working conditions. This study analyzes health-related work leave among nursing workers in Brazil from 2012 to 2021.
METHODS:
Descriptive cross-sectional study using secondary data from the Annual Social Information Report (RAIS), grounded in the historical-social determination approach to the health-disease process[2]. Nursing workers at higher education, technical, and auxiliary levels were included. Leave due to occupational accidents (typical and commuting), work-related diseases, and non-work-related diseases was analyzed descriptively using R software.
RESULTS:
An increase in formal employment in nursing was observed, from 1,249,791 in 2012 to 1,933,204 in 2021, with growth in higher education and technical categories and a reduction among auxiliary workers. During the same period, health-related leave increased from 184,139 to 757,783. Work-related leave (occupational accidents and diseases) rose from 10,304 in 2012 to 23,575 in 2021, representing an increase of 128.95%, while leave due to non–work-related diseases increased by 322.26%. A growing non-recognition of the causal nexus between work and health/illness was also observed: in 2012, there were 16.87 non–work-related leaves for each work-related leave, a ratio that rose to 31.14 in 2021.
CONCLUSIONS:
The increase in health-related leave reflects the worsening of work strain, intensified by labor reforms, new forms of employment, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The systematic under-recognition of work-related illness conceals the true burden of occupational health problems in nursing, highlighting critical gaps in labor protection, surveillance systems, and policies promoting healthy working environments.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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