September 19, 2008 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Healthcare occupations and workdays

According to 2003–07 data from the American Time Use Survey, people employed in healthcare practitioner and technical occupations and in healthcare support occupations were more likely than those in other occupations to work on weekend days.

[Chart data—TXT]

Thirty-nine percent of healthcare support employees and 35 percent of healthcare practitioners worked on an average weekend day. By comparison, only 31 percent of those employed in nonhealthcare occupations did so.

When they worked on weekend days, people employed in both healthcare occupation subgroups also worked more hours than those employed in other occupations. On weekend workdays, those in healthcare practitioner and technical occupations worked an average of 6.5 hours, and those in healthcare support occupations worked an average of 7.3 hours. By contrast, those employed in all other occupations worked an average of 5.5 hours on weekend days on which they worked.

These data are from the American Time Use Survey. Find out more in "Workdays for People in Healthcare Occupations," (PDF) Issues in Labor Statistics, BLS Summary 08-07.

Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations generally require postsecondary education; they include occupations such as physicians and surgeons, registered nurses, and licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses. Healthcare support occupations generally require a high school diploma and short-to-moderate-term on-the-job training; they include occupations such as nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides; occupational therapist assistants and aides; and physical therapist assistants and aides.