Ethnic differences in certified sickness absence

Abstract

The certified sickness absence of 4482 employees in one plant of a large manufacturing company in South-east England was studied for 12 months. The absences in the principal ethnic groups, Caucasian, Asian, and West Indian were compared. After standardisation for age and job grade in each department the Asians had twice the spells per man and nearly twice the days lost per man compared with the Caucasians. Compared with the Caucasians there was slightly more absence in West Indians. Various factors affect absence, and one reason for these differences may be that the three ethnic groups appreciate painful or unpleasant stimuli to a different degree.