HOUSEHOLD DATA

ANNUAL AVERAGES

46. Absences from work of employed full-time wage and salary workers by age and sex

Age and sex

2006

Total

employed

(in

thousands)

Absence rate 1 Lost worktime rate 2

Total Illness or

injury

Other

reasons Total Illness orinjury

Other

reasons

 Total, 16 years and over ................................................................. 105,785 3.2 2.3 0.9 1.8 1.2 0.5

16 to 19 years ................................................................................... 1,741 3.0 2.1 .9 1.4 1.1 .4

20 to 24 years ................................................................................... 9,490 2.8 1.9 .9 1.4 .9 .5

25 years and over ............................................................................. 94,555 3.3 2.3 .9 1.8 1.3 .5

 25 to 54 years ................................................................................. 78,821 3.2 2.2 1.0 1.7 1.2 .6

 55 years and over ........................................................................... 15,733 3.6 3.0 .7 2.0 1.7 .3

 Men, 16 years and over .................................................................. 59,633 2.4 1.8 .6 1.3 1.0 .3

16 to 19 years ................................................................................... 1,059 2.1 1.7 .5 1.1 1.0 .2

20 to 24 years ................................................................................... 5,462 2.2 1.6 .6 1.0 .8 .2

25 years and over ............................................................................. 53,111 2.4 1.9 .6 1.3 1.0 .3

 25 to 54 years ................................................................................. 44,601 2.3 1.7 .6 1.2 .9 .3

 55 years and over ........................................................................... 8,510 3.2 2.7 .5 1.9 1.7 .2

 Women, 16 years and over ............................................................ 46,152 4.3 2.8 1.4 2.4 1.5 .9

16 to 19 years ................................................................................... 681 4.4 2.9 1.5 2.0 1.2 .8

20 to 24 years ................................................................................... 4,027 3.8 2.3 1.4 2.0 1.0 1.0

25 years and over ............................................................................. 41,443 4.3 2.9 1.4 2.4 1.6 .9

 25 to 54 years ................................................................................. 34,221 4.3 2.8 1.5 2.5 1.5 1.0

 55 years and over ........................................................................... 7,223 4.2 3.3 .9 2.3 1.8 .4

1 Absences are defined as instances when persons who usually work

35 or more hours a week at their main job 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. 

Excluded are situations in which work was missed due to vacation or

personal days, holiday, labor dispute, slack work or business conditions,

and the wait for a new job to begin. For multiple jobholders, absence data

refer only to work missed at their main jobs. All self-employed persons are

excluded, regardless of whether or not their jobs are incorporated. The

absence rate is the ratio of workers with absences to total full-time wage

and salary workers who usually work 35 hours or more on their main job. 

The estimates of full-time wage and salary employment shown in this table

do not match those in other tables in part because the estimates in this

table are based on the full CPS sample and those in the other tables are

based on a quarter of the sample only. 2 Hours absent as a percent of hours usually worked. 

 NOTE: Beginning in January 2006, data reflect revised population

controls used in the household survey.

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