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Economic News Release
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Table 7. Workers who needed to take leave from their jobs but did not take it: reasons for needing to take leave by selected characteristics, averages for the period 2017-2018

Table 7. Workers who needed to take leave from their jobs but did not take it: reasons for needing to take leave by selected characteristics, averages for the period 2017-2018
Characteristic Total
workers (in
thou-
sands)
Workers who needed to take leave during an average month but did not
Total (in
thou-
sands)
Percent Percent distribution by reasons for needing to take leave(1)
Own
illness or
medical
care
Illness or
medical
care of a
family
member
Childcare or
eldercare
(other than
for illness)
Vacation Errands
or
personal
reasons
Other

Age

Total, 15 years and over

943,325 93,232 9.2 95.1 95.0 9.3 9.0 93.0 9.3

15 to 24 years

91,040 s 92.7 s s s s s s

25 to 34 years

92,522 9,916 9.0 97.5 99.4 9.6 9.7 98.2 9.2

35 to 44 years

90,382 9,887 9.5 92.7 99.1 93.0 92.5 91.8 9.0

45 to 54 years

99,130 9,495 9.6 90.4 95.2 90.2 9.9 95.4 9.5

55 to 64 years

92,753 9,866 9.2 99.8 92.2 9.6 9.2 94.2 z

65 years and over

9,497 s 9.1 s s s s s s

Sex

Men

95,594 9,571 9.4 90.6 94.8 9.4 9.4 90.3 91.6

Women

97,730 9,661 91.3 95.6 95.0 9.3 9.7 97.7 9.7

Race(2)

White

914,497 9,342 9.2 93.2 94.7 9.7 9.0 93.7 9.7

Black or African American

98,312 9,708 94.8 98.8 90.6 9.1 9.3 98.4 9.0

Asian

9,380 s 9.8 s s s s s s

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity(3)

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

93,573 s 9.0 s s s s s s

Non-Hispanic or Latino

919,751 91,348 9.5 96.3 96.2 9.5 9.2 90.6 9.2

Educational attainment (25 years and over)

Less than a high school diploma

9,400 s 90.5 s s s s s s

High school graduates, no college

91,623 9,727 9.6 92.9 91.0 91.3 9.0 98.4 9.8

Some college or associate degree

98,627 9,893 90.1 95.6 97.6 9.2 9.9 90.8 9.2

Bachelor's degree and higher

94,633 9,153 9.6 95.5 96.6 9.9 9.3 93.5 9.1

Parent of a household child

Parent of a household child under 18 years

97,629 9,170 90.9 93.9 90.9 95.0 9.8 95.7 9.8

Parent of a child 13 to 17 years (none younger)

9,916 s 90.6 s s s s s s

Parent of a child under 13 years

97,713 9,116 90.9 94.8 93.6 97.0 9.7 93.7 9.3

Not a parent of a household child under 18 years

95,695 9,061 9.4 95.8 91.1 9.0 9.1 97.7 9.9

Class of worker

Private sector

918,698 91,276 9.5 93.5 95.1 9.9 9.8 93.1 9.1

Private, for profit

906,193 9,742 9.2 95.5 96.4 9.7 9.8 97.7 9.0

Private, not for profit

92,505 s 92.3 s s s s s s

Public sector

94,627 9,956 9.9 94.3 94.3 91.0 9.2 92.4 9.7

Full- and part-time status (single jobholders only)(4)

Full-time workers

903,981 9,309 9.0 93.6 95.8 9.6 9.9 92.9 9.9

Part-time workers

96,249 s 9.7 s s s s s s

Usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary
workers (single jobholders only)

Earnings less than or equal to the 25th percentile

94,145 9,024 92.5 96.3 91.3 9.0 9.3 97.3 96.5

Earnings from 25th to 50th percentiles

96,817 9,256 9.4 95.6 99.0 9.3 9.4 96.1 9.3

Earnings from 50th to 75th percentiles

96,532 9,944 9.3 91.1 98.5 9.1 9.6 94.2 9.5

Earnings greater than the 75th percentile

96,486 9,085 9.9 96.1 96.3 93.7 9.3 90.3 z

Work schedule flexibility(5)

Had flexible schedule

90,286 9,845 9.3 95.3 96.3 9.1 9.5 95.7 9.4

Did not have flexible schedule

93,038 9,386 91.7 94.8 93.9 9.3 9.3 90.9 9.6

Work place flexibility(6)

Could work at home

99,983 9,885 9.2 94.1 99.5 9.4 9.1 99.2 9.4

Could not work at home

903,080 90,314 90.0 95.4 93.6 9.1 9.1 94.0 9.4

(1) Estimates for reasons may sum to more than 100 percent because some people had multiple reasons for needing to take leave.
(2) Estimates for race groups (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to the totals because data are not presented for all races.
(3) Persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity may be of any race.
(4) Full-time workers usually work 35 hours or more per week. Part-time workers usually work less than 35 hours per week.
(5) Workers with flexible schedules were able to vary or change the times they began and stopped working.
(6) The subcategories do not sum to the totals because a small number of workers did not provide this information.
s - Estimate is suppressed because it does not meet the American Time Use Survey publication standards.
z - Estimate is approximately zero.

Note: Data refer to wage and salary workers at their main jobs. All self-employed workers (including workers with incorporated businesses and those with unincorporated businesses) are excluded. Unless otherwise specified, data refer to workers 15 years and over.

Last Modified Date: October 05, 2023