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Work absence rates
2003
Highlights
- Estimates from the Labour force survey reveal a steady rising trend
in both work absence incidence and time lost for personal reasons (own illness
or disability, and other personal and family demands) between 1997 and 2002.
Several factors accounted for the rising trend: notably, the aging of the
workforce; the growing share of women in the workforce, especially mothers
with young children; high stress among workers and the increasing prevalence
of generous sick and family-related
leave at the workplace.
- In an average week in 1997, excluding women on maternity leave,
about 5.5% (484,000) of all full-time
employees holding one job were absent from work for all or part of the week
for personal reasons. By 2002, the figure had risen to 7.6% (771,000).
Total work time missed for these reasons also rose steadily, from 3.0%
of the weekly scheduled work time in 1997 to 3.6% in 2002.
Extrapolated over the full year, work time lost for personal reasons increased
from the equivalent of 7.4 days per worker in 1997 to 9.0 days
in 2002. Work absences due to own illness or disability as well as those
due to other personal or family responsibilities witnessed continuous increases
during the period.
- The steadily rising trend stalled in 2003. That year, the incidence
fell to 7.3%, but the days lost per worker (9.1 days) were a shade
higher than the year before, suggesting that absence durations in 2003 were
generally longer. Whether this is the beginning of a new trend is too early
to speculate.
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