CANADIAN WORKER ABSENTEEISM UP IN 2011 : STATS CAN

Full-time workers in public sector lost average of 4.7 more days than private-sector workers

The average number of days lost per employee in Canada increased slightly from 9.1 days in 2010 to 9.3 days in 2011, according to numbers released by Statistics Canada last month. Illness or disability made up 7.7 of those days, while personal or family reasons made up 1.6 days.

Full-time employees in the public sector lost more work time (12.9 days) in 2011 for personal reason than those in the private sector (8.2 days). The most workdays were missed by employees in health care and social assistance (14.0 days), public administration (12.8 days) and transportation and warehousing (12.3). Absences can be attributed to the nature and demand of the job, the male-female composition of the workforce and union density, according to Statistics Canada.

Full-time workers who belonged to unions or were covered by a collective agreement missed more workdays (13.2) on average in 2011 for personal reasons than their non-unionized counterparts (7.5).

Women tended to lose more days of work in 2011 (11.4), while men lost 7.7 days. The presence of preschool-age children exerts a strong influence on work absences for personal or family responsibilities. Full-time employees with at least one preschool age child lost an average of 3.0 days in 2011, while families without children lost 1.4 days.

Days lost per worker by sex, 2010-11 

To read more from Work Absences in 2011, visit catalogue 75-001-XWE on the Statistics Canada website.

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