With the job market still struggling, data shows that employee absenteeism has continued to decline.
A report from BNA, a subsidiary of Bloomberg, found that average absence rates were just 0.6 percent of scheduled days through the first nine months of the year – down from both 2010 and 2009 levels.
"When the economy is as volatile as it has been, people are much for apt to make the effort to come to work when they aren't feeling well," said BNA Surveys director Matthew Sottong. "There has always been a correlation between high unemployment and low absenteeism, and this survey bears that out."
However, the report also found that turnover rates have picked up slightly. During the third quarter, separation rates were 0.9 percent of companies' workforces, up from 0.7 percent during the second quarter. They are also well below the 0.6 percent rate from the same period in 2009.
The economic trends of the next few months may put a greater emphasis on employee benefits and retention, as recent statistics showed the unemployment rate dropping below 9 percent for the first time in several months.
