Graded Sick Leave: Mapping, Causal Effects and Heterogeneity (GRADERT)

Graded sick leave is a central component of Norwegian sickness absence policy. Its purpose is to enable employees to combine work activity and sickness absence, allowing more people to maintain their attachment to the workplace and return to work more quickly.

Despite its widespread use, knowledge remains limited regarding the effects of graded sick leave, which groups benefit most from the scheme, and under what conditions it is most effective.

The GRADERT project will investigate how graded sick leave affects sickness absence, labour market participation, and the risk of long-term exclusion from working life. The project will map developments in the use of graded sick leave and analyse variation across different groups of sick-listed employees, diagnoses, occupations, and industries. It will also examine the potential causal effects of graded sick leave and how these effects vary across groups and circumstances.

A key ambition of the project is to improve knowledge about how sickness absence follow-up can be better tailored to individual needs. By identifying when graded sick leave works well, and when other approaches may be more appropriate, the project will provide a foundation for developing more targeted measures and follow-up strategies.

The project will also assess potential interventions and policy measures that may contribute to more effective follow-up of different groups of sick-listed employees. The findings will support Nav's efforts to reduce sickness absence and prevent long-term exclusion from the labour market.

The project is led by Fafo in collaboration with the Institute for Social Research (ISF) on behalf of the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (Nav).