Recession Appears To Have Had Little Effect On Job Absence, BNA Survey Finds

3/14/2002

From: Karen James Cody of BNA, 202-452-1469; e-mail: kcody@bna.com; Web site: http://www.bna.com/

WASHINGTON, March 14 -- In contrast to previous economic downturns, when absence rates plunged, the current recession apparently has had little or no impact on employee absenteeism, according to a survey conducted by BNA, Inc. Median monthly rates of unscheduled absence averaged 1.7 percent of scheduled workdays in 2001, unchanged from 2000 and 1999, and higher than in 1996 (1.6 percent), 1997 (1.5 percent), and 1998 (1.6 percent).

The BNA survey finds that:

-- Absenteeism in late 2001 outpaced levels recorded for the summer, a typical seasonal trend. Median absence rates for October, November, and December averaged 1.7 percent of scheduled workdays, up slightly from 1.6 percent in the third quarter but unchanged from the fourth-quarter average in 2000.

-- Plagued by rising absenteeism throughout most of the year, nonmanufacturing companies enjoyed a late-year reversal in that trend. Median monthly rates of unscheduled job absence averaged 1.5 percent of scheduled workdays among nonmanufacturing organizations in the final quarter of 2001, down from 1.7 percent in the last three months of 2000.

-- Southern and Western employers struggled with comparatively high absenteeism in 2001. In both regions, median absence rates averaged 1.8 percent of scheduled workdays last year, up from 1.7 percent in 2000 and the highest year-end average in at least a decade (1991 for Southern companies, 1989 for establishments in the West).

BNA's survey of job absence has been conducted quarterly since 1974. Absence rates for 2001 are based on responses from 226 human resource and employee relations executives representing a cross section of U.S. employers, both public and private. Job absence, for purposes of the survey, excludes holidays, vacations, and other scheduled leave.

(Further details and breakdowns by industry classification, workforce size, and geographic region are contained in the full report.)

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For more information on the survey results, contact BNA's Survey Research Unit at 202-452-4389. For press copies of the report, contact Karen James-Cody, Media Relations, 202-452-4169.