Analysis
Archived Content
Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.
Work absences in 2011
Maria Dabboussy and Sharanjit Uppal
There are many kinds of work absence. Some, like annual vacation, are generally considered beneficial for both the organization and the employee. Since they are usually scheduled, their effect on the organization can be fairly easily absorbed; the same can be said of statutory holidays. Other absences, for instance those caused by illness and family-related demands, are generally unavoidable, as are those due to inclement weather.
Absenteeism, a term used to refer to absences that are avoidable, habitual and unscheduled, is a source of irritation to employers and co-workers. Such absences are disruptive to proper work scheduling and output, and costly to organizations and the economy as a whole. Although absenteeism is widely acknowledged to be a problem, it is not easy to quantify. The dividing line between avoidable and unavoidable is difficult to draw, and absenteeism generally masquerades as legitimate absence. The Labour Force Survey (LFS) can provide measures of time lost because of personal reasons—that is, illness or disability, and personal or family responsibilities. However, within these categories, it is impossible to determine if an absence is avoidable or unscheduled. LFS data on absences for personal reasons can, however, be analyzed to identify patterns or trends that indicate the effect of absenteeism (see Data quality, concepts and methodology — Data Source).
Recent trends—2001 to 2011
In the first half of the 2000s, both the incidence and the number of days lost for personal reasons (illness or disability, and personal or family responsibilities) trended upwards. In the latter half of the 2000s, the rates were flat or declined slightly. However, absence rates were somewhat higher in 2011 than in 2001.
In an average week in 2001, excluding women on maternity leave, 1 7.0% of all full-time employees holding one job were absent from work for all or part of the week for personal reasons. By 2011, the figure had risen to 8.1% (913,000) (table 6-1). Total work time missed also rose, from 3.4% of the scheduled week in 2001 to 3.7% in 2011; this was up slightly from 2010. Extrapolated over the full year, work time lost for personal reasons increased from the equivalent of 8.5 days per worker in 2001 to 9.3 days in 2011.
Variations in absence rates in 2011
Absence for personal reasons differs among various worker groups. Several factors are responsible, principally working conditions (physical environment, degree of job stress, employer–employee relations, collective agreement provisions and work schedules); adequacy and affordability of community facilities like child care centres and public transportation; family circumstances, especially the presence of preschool children or other dependent family members; and physical health of the worker, a factor closely related to age. Measuring the effects of these and other contributing factors is not easy since many are not captured by the LFS. However, some insight is gained by examining personal absences in 2011 by selected demographic characteristics, occupation and industry, and other attributes like union and job status.
Demographic differences
In 2011, excluding women on maternity leave, an estimated 8.1% of full-time employees missed some work each week for personal reasons: 5.9% for own illness or disability, and 2.2% for personal or family responsibilities (table 6-1). As a result, full-time employees lost 3.7% of their work time each week.
On average, each full-time employee lost 9.3 days in 2011 for personal reasons (7.7 for own illness or disability plus 1.6 for personal or family demands). This amounted to an estimated 105 million work days for all full-time employees. Men lost fewer days than women—7.7 (6.4 for illness or disability plus 1.4 for personal or family demands) versus 11.4 (9.4 plus 2.0).
The presence of preschool-age children exerts a strong influence on work absences for personal or family responsibilities. In 2011, full-time employees in families with at least one preschool-age child lost an average of 3.0 days, compared with only 1.4 for those in families without children (table 1-3).
Work days missed because of illness or disability tended to rise with age, from an average of 5.1 days for youth (15 to 19) to 11.5 for full-time employees age 55 to 64 (table 1-1).
Industry and sector
Work absence rates differ by sector (public or private) and industry, with almost all of the difference arising from illness and disability absences (table 2-1). Contributing factors include the nature and demands of the job, the male–female composition of the workforce, and union density—the last being a strong determinant of the presence of paid sick or family leave.
Full-time employees in the public sector (more likely unionized or female) lost more work time (12.9 days) in 2011 for personal reasons than their private-sector counterparts (8.2 days).
At the major (2-digit) industry level, the most work days were missed by employees in health care and social assistance (14.0 days), public administration (12.8) and transportation and warehousing (12.3).
The lowest averages were recorded by full-time workers in professional, scientific and technical services (5.8), other services (except public administration) (6.5) and primary industries (7.2).
Occupation
Contributing factors for absence rates by occupation are similar to those for industry (table 3-1). Again, as by major industry, differences arise mainly from time lost due to illness or disability.
The most days lost in 2011 were recorded for full-time employees in health occupations (14.1) and occupations unique to production (10.8). Workers in natural and applied sciences (5.8), management (6.8), and culture and recreation (7.3) recorded the fewest days lost.
Union coverage, job status, workplace size and job tenure
Full-time workers who belonged to unions or were covered by collective agreements missed more work days on average in 2011 for personal reasons than their non-unionized counterparts (13.2 versus 7.5) (table 1-6).
Workers with permanent jobs (more likely to be unionized) lost more work days (9.6) than those whose jobs were not permanent (7.0).
Days lost tended to rise with workplace size, increasing from a low of 7.5 in workplaces with fewer than 20 employees (firms more likely to have low union rates) to 11.1 in workplaces with more than 500 employees (firms likely to have high union rates) (table 1-4).
Days lost tended to rise with job tenure, with almost all the differences arising from illness and disability (table 1-5). Employees with tenure of up to 1 year lost 6.2 days, while those with over 14 years lost 11.7 days (the latter group was also likely older).
Province and CMA
Work absence levels differed by geographic area (table 1-7), with most of the variation again arising from illness or disability.
Full-time employees in Saskatchewan (11.0) lost the most work time in 2011, followed by those in New Brunswick, Quebec, and Nova Scotia (10.8 each). Those in Alberta (7.9) and Ontario (8.3) lost the least.
Among the census metropolitan areas, Gatineau (11.7), Victoria (11.1) and Montréal (10.8) lost the most days per full-time worker (table 1-8). Guelph (6.8), Toronto (7.1) and Calgary (7.1) lost the least.
- Date modified: