HOUSEHOLD DATA
ANNUAL AVERAGES

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

(Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                            
                                                                                        1998                                
                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                            
                     Age and sex                                        Absence rate(1)            Lost worktime rate(2)    
                                                         Total                                                              
                                                        employed                                                            
                                                                   Total    Illness    Other     Total    Illness    Other  
                                                                           or injury  reasons            or injury  reasons 
                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                            
  Total, 16 years and over............................   95,579      3.7       2.7       1.1       2.0       1.4       0.6  
16 to 19 years........................................    2,192      4.0       3.1        .9       1.9       1.4        .5  
20 to 24 years........................................    8,856      3.9       2.5       1.4       2.0       1.1        .8  
25 years and over.....................................   84,530      3.7       2.7       1.0       2.0       1.5        .6  
  25 to 54 years......................................   74,715      3.7       2.6       1.1       2.0       1.4        .6  
  55 years and over...................................    9,815      4.2       3.4        .8       2.5       2.1        .4  
                                                                                                                            
  Men, 16 years and over..............................   54,300      2.7       2.1        .6       1.5       1.2        .3  
16 to 19 years........................................    1,294      3.3       2.8        .5       1.6       1.4        .2  
20 to 24 years........................................    5,067      2.6       2.0        .6       1.2       1.0        .3  
25 years and over.....................................   47,939      2.7       2.1        .6       1.5       1.2        .3  
  25 to 54 years......................................   42,359      2.6       2.0        .6       1.4       1.1        .3  
  55 years and over...................................    5,581      3.6       2.9        .6       2.2       1.9        .3  
                                                                                                                            
  Women, 16 years and over............................   41,279      5.1       3.4       1.7       2.8       1.8       1.0  
16 to 19 years........................................      899      5.0       3.4       1.6       2.4       1.4        .9  
20 to 24 years........................................    3,790      5.6       3.2       2.4       2.9       1.4       1.6  
25 years and over.....................................   36,591      5.1       3.5       1.6       2.8       1.8       1.0  
  25 to 54 years......................................   32,357      5.1       3.4       1.7       2.8       1.7       1.0  
  55 years and over...................................    4,234      5.0       4.0       1.0       2.8       2.3        .5  

  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.