January 31, 2006 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Absence rates and occupation, 2005

Workers in natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations and in management, professional, and related occupations had the lowest absence rates in 2005.

[Chart data—TXT]

Full-time workers in natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations had an absence rate of 2.8 percent while those in management, professional, and related occupations had an absence rate of 3.0 percent. 

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations had an absence rate of 3.5 percent.

Workers in service occupations and in sales and office occupations had the highest absence rates, both at 3.7 percent. Within service occupations, healthcare support occupations had a rate of 5.1 percent.

These data are from the Current Population Survey. More information on absence rates in 2005 can be found in Table 47 (PDF) of the January 2006 Employment and Earnings.  The absence rate is the ratio of workers with absences to total full-time wage and salary employment. Absences are instances when persons who usually work 35 or more hours a week worked less than 35 hours during the reference week for one of the following reasons: Own illness, injury, or medical problems; child-care problems; other family or personal obligations; civic or military duty; and maternity or paternity leave.