Absence rate

In economics, the absence rate is the ratio of workers with absences to total full-time wage and salary employment. In the United States, absences are defined as instances when persons who usually work 35 or more hours per week worked less than 35 hours during the reference week for one of the following reasons: own illness, injury, or medical problems; childcare problems; other family or personal obligations; civic or military duty; and maternity or paternity leave.

Statistics

Absence rates by industry in 2005
Absence rates by occupation in 2005

In 2005, workers in the education and health services sector had the highest absence rate in the private sector at 4.0 percent, while workers in natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations and in management, professional, and related occupations had the lowest absence rates.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported an absence rate of 3.2 percent for full-time wage and salary workers in 2025, using an average of 11 months that leaves out October. Illness or injury accounted for 2.2 percentage points of that rate, and all other reasons for 1.0.

Other countries measure absence differently. In the United Kingdom, the Office for National Statistics estimates a sickness absence rate from the Labour Force Survey as the share of total working hours lost to sickness or injury, rather than the share of workers with an absence. By that measure the rate was 2.0 percent in 2024, down from 2.3 percent in 2023, equal to about 4.4 days lost per worker.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "BLS Information". Glossary. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Division of Information Services. February 28, 2008. Archived from the original on 6 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
  2. ↑ "Absence rates and industry, 2005". TED: The Editor's Desk. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Division of Information Services. February 14, 2006. Archived from the original on 7 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
  3. ↑ "Absence rates and occupation, 2005". TED: The Editor's Desk. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Division of Information Services. January 31, 2006. Archived from the original on 7 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
  4. ↑ "Absences from work of employed full-time wage and salary workers by occupation and industry" (PDF). 2005 annual tables, household data, Employment and Earnings. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS). pp. 273–274. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2024. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
  5. ↑ "Absences from work of employed full-time wage and salary workers by occupation and industry". Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-17.
  6. ↑ "Sickness absence in the UK labour market: 2023 and 2024". Office for National Statistics. 4 June 2025. Retrieved 2026-10-20.