US HISPANICS LESS LIKELY TO MISS WORK
SAYS WLDI REPORT ON GOVERNMENT SURVEY
Work Loss Data Institute – 9/27/01

Corpus Christi, TX – A new report on Hispanics and lost time in the US workforce from the Work Loss Data Institute (WLDI) shows that in a one year period, while about half of the non-Hispanic working population miss work due to illness or injury, just 36% of Hispanics working in the United States exhibit this behavior.

The WLDI report is based on the most recent available data (1999) from the National Health Interview Survey, the principal source of information on the health of the civilian, non-institutionalized population of the United States and one of the major data collection programs of the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.  The NHIS also serves as the foundation for Official Disability Guidelines.

Some, but certainly not all, of the lower incidence of missed work among US Hispanics may be attributable to the disparate proportion of whom receive no paid sick leave, whether from group disability, paid time off or workers’ compensation.  Most Hispanic-Americans report receiving no such benefit, while 60% of their non-Hispanic counterparts recall having paid sick leave at their primary job or business.  Still, with the provision of paid sick leave, the likelihood of a non-Hispanic missing work due to illness or injury is about 125% that of a Hispanic.

According to the WLDI report, however, when US Hispanics do miss work, their average disability durations are longer than others.  While the size of the difference depends on factors involving waiting periods and sample ratios, it is always positive. 

The WLDI special report, entitled The US Hispanic Working Population, addresses lost work in the overall US Hispanic population and the distribution among subgroups, the issues of paid sick leave and health insurance coverage among Hispanics, as well as the impacts of occupation, industry and education on the Hispanic workforce.  Also covered are the prevalence and disability durations accompanying different types of therapy and diagnoses in US Hispanics. 

Work Loss Data Institute is an independent database development company focused on workplace health and productivity, and publisher of Official Disability Guidelines and Employer Health Register.

To purchase The US Hispanic Working Population ($50, available in electronic and hardcopy formats), visit www.disabilitydurations.com/specreportorder.htm, or contact WLDI at 800 488-5548.