HOUSEHOLD DATA

ANNUAL AVERAGES

45. Absences from work of employed full-time wage and salary workers by occupation and industry

(Numbers in thousands)

Occupation and industry

1998

Total

employed

Absence rate1 Lost worktime rate2

Total Illness or

injury

Other

reasons Total Illness orinjury

Other

reasons

OCCUPATION

Managerial and professional specialty ............................................. 29,399 3.1 2.0 1.1 1.7 1.0 0.7

 Executive, administrative, and managerial ..................................... 14,540 2.8 1.8 .9 1.4 .9 .6

 Professional specialty ..................................................................... 14,859 3.5 2.2 1.2 1.9 1.1 .8

Technical, sales, and administrative support .................................... 27,105 4.1 2.9 1.2 2.1 1.4 .7

 Technicians and related support .................................................... 3,492 4.1 2.9 1.2 2.2 1.4 .8

 Sales occupations .......................................................................... 9,495 3.1 2.2 .9 1.6 1.1 .5

 Administrative support, including clerical ........................................ 14,118 4.7 3.3 1.4 2.4 1.6 .8

Service occupations ......................................................................... 10,530 4.5 3.2 1.2 2.5 1.8 .6

Precision production, craft, and repair .............................................. 11,724 3.3 2.6 .8 1.9 1.5 .3

Operators, fabricators, and laborers ................................................. 15,208 4.3 3.4 .9 2.5 2.1 .4

Farming, forestry, and fishing ........................................................... 1,613 2.4 1.9 .6 1.3 1.0 .3

INDUSTRY

Agricultural wage and salary workers ............................................... 1,462 2.0 1.5 .5 1.1 .8 .3

Private nonagricultural wage and salary workers ............................. 78,474 3.6 2.6 1.0 2.0 1.4 .6

 Mining ............................................................................................. 566 2.2 1.7 .5 1.3 1.0 .3

 Construction ................................................................................... 5,443 3.2 2.4 .9 1.8 1.4 .4

 Manufacturing ................................................................................. 18,929 3.8 2.8 .9 2.1 1.6 .5

 Durable goods .............................................................................. 11,610 3.6 2.8 .8 2.1 1.6 .4

 Nondurable goods ........................................................................ 7,319 3.9 2.9 1.0 2.2 1.7 .5

 Transportation and public utilities ................................................... 6,391 3.4 2.6 .8 2.1 1.6 .5

 Transportation .............................................................................. 3,713 3.5 2.8 .8 2.3 1.8 .5

 Communications and other public utilities .................................... 2,677 3.2 2.3 .9 1.9 1.4 .5

 Wholesale and retail trade .............................................................. 16,699 3.4 2.4 .9 1.8 1.3 .5

 Wholesale trade ............................................................................ 4,051 2.7 2.0 .6 1.4 1.0 .4

 Retail trade ................................................................................... 12,648 3.6 2.6 1.0 1.9 1.4 .5

 Finance, insurance, and real estate ............................................... 6,561 3.4 2.3 1.2 1.7 1.0 .7

 Services .......................................................................................... 23,885 3.9 2.7 1.2 2.1 1.3 .7

Government workers ........................................................................ 15,642 4.5 3.3 1.2 2.4 1.6 .7

1 Absences are defined as 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. Excluded are situations in

which work was missed due to vacation or personal days, holiday, labor

dispute, and other reasons. For multiple jobholders, absence data refer

only to work missed at their main jobs. The absence rate is the ratio of

workers with absences to total full-time wage and salary employment. The

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

not match those in other tables 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 1998, data reflect new composite

estimation procedures and revised population controls used in the

household survey.

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