HOUSEHOLD DATA HOUSEHOLD DATA

ANNUAL AVERAGES ANNUAL AVERAGES

46. Absences from work of employed full-time wage and salary workers by age, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Age, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

2008

Workers in

absence

universe (in

thousands)1

Absence rate 1 Lost worktime rate 2

Total Illness or

injury

Other

reasons Total Illness orinjury

Other

reasons

 Total, 16 years and over ................................................................. 102,307 3.1 2.2 0.9 1.7 1.2 0.5

16 to 19 years ................................................................................... 1,345 2.4 1.5 .9 1.3 .7 .5

20 to 24 years ................................................................................... 8,528 2.9 2.0 .9 1.4 .9 .6

25 years and over ............................................................................. 92,433 3.2 2.2 .9 1.7 1.2 .5

 25 to 54 years ................................................................................. 75,837 3.1 2.1 1.0 1.7 1.1 .6

 55 years and over ........................................................................... 16,597 3.6 2.9 .7 2.0 1.7 .3

 Men, 16 years and over .................................................................. 57,019 2.3 1.8 .5 1.2 1.0 .3

16 to 19 years ................................................................................... 799 1.5 1.0 .5 .6 .5 .2

20 to 24 years ................................................................................... 4,797 2.0 1.5 .4 .9 .7 .2

25 years and over ............................................................................. 51,424 2.3 1.8 .5 1.3 1.0 .3

 25 to 54 years ................................................................................. 42,477 2.2 1.7 .5 1.2 .9 .3

 55 years and over ........................................................................... 8,946 3.0 2.5 .5 1.8 1.5 .3

 Women, 16 years and over ............................................................ 45,288 4.1 2.7 1.4 2.3 1.4 .9

16 to 19 years ................................................................................... 546 3.6 2.2 1.4 2.2 1.1 1.1

20 to 24 years ................................................................................... 3,732 4.0 2.5 1.5 2.2 1.1 1.0

25 years and over ............................................................................. 41,010 4.2 2.8 1.4 2.3 1.4 .8

 25 to 54 years ................................................................................. 33,359 4.2 2.6 1.5 2.3 1.3 .9

 55 years and over ........................................................................... 7,650 4.2 3.4 .8 2.3 1.9 .4

White ................................................................................................ 82,806 3.1 2.2 .9 1.6 1.1 .5

Black or African American ................................................................ 12,081 3.6 2.4 1.1 2.1 1.5 .6

Asian ................................................................................................. 5,015 2.2 1.4 .8 1.3 .7 .6

Hispanic or Latino ............................................................................. 15,133 2.7 1.8 .9 1.4 .9 .5

1 The absence universe includes most wage and salary workers who

usually work full-time at their primary or sole job. 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. 

Conceptually, 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. 2 Hours absent as a percent of hours usually worked, which is

derived using the number of workers in absence universe as defined in

footnote 1 above, minus those who reported that their hours varied. 

 NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African

American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not

presented for all races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic

or Latino may be of any race. Updated population controls are

introduced annually with the release of January data.

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