Absenteeism costs Canada $16B a year
Absenteeism costs the Canadian economy more than $16 billion a year, according to a study by the Conference Board of Canada.
The report released this week says the average full-time Canadian worker was absent for 9.3 days in 2011 — the latest year for which figures are available — with the highest absenteeism rates found in the health-care and social assistance sector.
The workplace absences resulted in the economy losing an estimated 2.4 per cent of the gross annual payroll, or an estimated $16.6 billion based on 2012 incomes, the study said.
The estimate does not include any indirect costs associated with a worker being away, such as finding a replacement, delays and missed deadlines and a reduction in employee morale.
“Absenteeism is more than a human resources issue,” wrote author Nicole Stewart in the 12-page report called Missing in Action: Absenteeism Trends in Canadian Organizations. “It costs the Canadian economy billions of dollars each year.”
Using Statistics Canada figures from 2011 and results of a 2012 Conference Board survey of 401 medium- to large-sized companies, the report noted that the reasons given for the missed work ranged from illness to long-term leave of absences.
Workers in health-care and social assistance had an average of 14 missed days, which the report says, may be attributed to the industry being commonly known for shift work, overtime, high stress and workers coming in contact with the sick.
Those in the professional, scientific and technical services industries had the lowest rates of absenteeism, with an average of 5.8 days. These industries were also likely not be unionized.
Regionally, workers in Saskatchewan had the highest absenteeism rates, averaging 11 days, followed by those in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Quebec at 10.8 days.
Alberta and Ontario had the lowest rates, coming in at about eight days.