Retail had highest rate of positive drug tests
More companies are waiving exams amid tight job market
Retail workers tested positive for illicit drugs at the highest rate among industries last year while transportation and warehousing posted the sharpest increase in positive results, according to a first-ever industry breakdown of drug use in the American workforce provided exclusively to USA TODAY.
The new data, from Quest Diagnostics, come as a growing share of employers waive pre-employment drug tests or overlook positive results amid the spread of legalized pot and a tight labor market that’s making it harder to find qualified workers.
Some industries, such as retail and accommodation and food services, which had among the highest positive rates in the Quest study, also have relaxed their drug testing as they struggle to find workers, experts say.
“For employers in these industries, this should be a call out, a worry for potential drug use in their industry,” says Barry Sample, Quest’s senior director of science and technology.
James Reidy, a labor lawyer who consults with companies on drug testing, says many firms are prudently dropping pre-employment drug tests for positions and industries that
aren’t safety sensitive.
Drug testing “is no longer widespread,” says Reidy, with Sheehan Phinney in Manchester, New Hampshire. “They’re doing it for certain positions.”
Workers in safety-sensitive jobs, such as pilots, truck drivers and forklift operators, still are subject to drug tests because of laws, regulations or insurance requirements.
Quest, a leading drug-testing provider, announces the rate of positive results annually based on an analysis of 10 million urine tests. Most of the tests are for job applicants, though some are given to workers after accidents or based on suspicion, for example.
In May, Quest released the overall results that showed the share of positive drug tests was 4.2 percent for the second consecutive year, the highest level in more than a decade. The positives for cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana climbed, while the rate for opiates dropped sharply amid state crackdowns on excessive opioid prescriptions.
Marijuana, cocaine drive rise
But an analysis of that data expected to be released Wednesday marks the first time Quest has broken it down by industry. In retail, 5.3 percent of tests were positive, up from 4.7 percent in
2015, and the highest among the 16 industries studied. Since 2015, positive tests in retail have risen from 2.7 to 3.2 percent for marijuana and from 0.14 to
0.2 percent for cocaine.
The growing acceptance of pot is partly contributing to the overall rise in positive tests in retail and other sectors, Sample says. Weed is legal for recreational use in 10 states and Washington D.C. And 33 states and Washington have legalized medical marijuana.
The laws also are encouraging more pot smoking even in states that haven’t legalized it, says Robert DuPont, president of the Institute for Behavior and Health.
Retail also has many high school and college-age employees who are more likely to experiment with recreational drugs, says Jerry Sheldon, vice president of IHL, a retail and hospitality consulting firm.
The sharp increase in retail’s positive results may explain why some stores are eliminating drug tests as they try to tap a larger pool of applicants that doesn’t rule out some recreational drug users, Reidy says. Despite layoffs by household names such as Sears and Macy’s, retailers had about 800,000 job openings in October, up from 655,000 a year earlier, according to the Labor Department.
Diane Swonk, chief economist at Grant Thornton, suggested a different dynamic: The pullback in pre-employment drug tests may be prompting more retail workers to use certain drugs.
The National Retail Federation declined to comment.
AutoNation, the giant auto dealer with 27,000 employees, stopped rejecting job applicants based on a positive marijuana test in late 2016. It still screens out people who test positive for other drugs.
“With the tight labor market, we need high-skill people, and you can’t be at a disadvantage,” says Mark Cannon, company executive vice president. The modified drug testing policy “clearly opened up the talent pool.”
Restaurants, warehouses show high or rising rate
Many employers in restaurants, hotels, light industrial and professional and business services are scrapping drug tests as they struggle to find workers, Reidy says.
Accommodation and food services was among five industries with the highest rates of positives, at 4.5 percent. The others: Health care and social assistance, (4.7 percent); real estate rental and leasing, (4.6 percent); and administrative support and waste and remediation services (4.5 percent).
Transportation and warehousing showed the sharpest rise in positive results, from 2.8 percent in 2015 to 3.4 percent last year. Finance and insurance (2.3 to 2.6 percent) and wholesale trade (3.4 to 3.8 percent) had dramatic increases.
Amy Glaser, senior vice president of staffing firm Adecco, estimates one in four employers are loosening drug or background checks, especially for warehouse, hotel and clerical workers.
“If a company requires a drug test and two rounds of interviews, candidates may go to another employer down the street who will make them an offer that day,” Glaser says. “We estimate that the shelf life of a warehouse worker is 24 hours.”