ANNUAL SURVEY OF INDUSTRIES 2003-04 (PART I & PART II)
ABSENTEEISM
Information regarding absenteeism amongst workers in an industry or an industrial establishment on account of reasons other than strikes, lockouts, lay-off, weekly rest or suspension, provide a sound database for gauging the employee’s morale, commitment and level of job satisfaction which have a direct bearing on productivity. The effects of high levels of absenteeism are wide ranging and affect everyone in the organisation. It cannot be regarded purely as a management problem. Employers, workers and their representatives have an interest in ensuring that a few absent workers do not jeopardise their prosperity or job satisfaction and or committed level of output.
Absenteeism is also one of the indicators to monitor and evaluate various employees’ welfare programmes and labour policies. With this aim in view, statistics on absenteeism amongst the directly employed regular workers are collected as a part of the Annual Survey of Industries. Absenteeism rate amongst these workers in an industry or a State are worked out as percentages of mandays lost on account of absence to the mandays scheduled to work in the respective industry or State.
Statistics on number of factories reporting absenteeism, percentage of such factories, mandays scheduled to work, mandays lost due to absence and percentage of absenteeism by States, Industries and Sectors during the year 2003, are presented in Tables 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.2.1 and 2.2.2, respectively.
2.1 Absenteeism in States
State-wise absenteeism rate amongst the directly employed regular workers during the year 2003 is presented in Table 2.1.1. It is observed that the rate of absenteeism at all India level increased to 10.01 per cent during 2003 from 9.61 per cent during 2002. Out of 31 States/Union Territories, the rate of absenteeism was higher in 12 States than the absenteeism rate at national level. The highest absenteeism rate of 12.91 per cent was reported in Delhi followed by Maharashtra (12.90 per cent), Goa (12.81 per cent), Jharkhand (12.49 per cent) and Kerala (12.47 per cent). The lowest absenteeism rate was recorded at 1.01 per cent in Nagaland followed by Tripura (2.42 per cent), Manipur (3.21 per cent) and Meghalaya (4.78 per cent). It is seen that the absenteeism rate is generally on the lower side in North-Eastern States.
Amongst the 8 States/Union Territories in which the mandays scheduled to work were reported to be more than 5 per cent of that at the national level, the highest absenteeism rate was reported in Maharashtra (12.90 per cent) followed by Uttar Pradesh (10.19 per cent), West Bengal (9.90 per cent) and Gujarat (9.45 per cent), whereas the lowest absenteeism rate was reported in Andhra Pradesh (7.25 per cent) followed by Tamil Nadu (7.40 per cent).
An increase in absenteeism rate as compared to that in 2002 was recorded in 20 States/Union Territories. As compared to 2002, there has been a sharp decrease in the absenteeism rate in the State of Jammu & Kashmir, whereas there has been a sharp increase in the absenteeism rate in the State of Jharkhand.
2.2 Absenteeism in Industries
Industry-wise absenteeism rate amongst the directly employed regular workers during 2003 is presented in Table 2.1.2. It reveals that during 2003, the highest rate of absenteeism was reported at 14.72 per cent in the industry group ‘160-Manufacture of the tobacco products’ followed by industry groups ‘372-Recycling of non-metal waste and scrap’ (12.95 per cent), ‘371-Recycling of metal waste and scrap’ (12.39 per cent), ‘251-Manufacture of rubber products’ (12.39 per cent), ‘243-Manufacture of man-made fibres’ (12.37 per cent) and ‘202-Manufacture of products of wood, cork, straw and plaiting materials’ (12.14 per cent).
The lowest rate of absenteeism was reported at 5.63 per cent in industry group ‘014-Agricultural and animal husbandry service activities, except veterinary activities’ followed by industry groups ‘153-Manufacture of grain mill products, starches and starch products, and prepared animal feeds’ (7.08 per cent), ‘332-Manufacture of optical instruments and photographic equipment’ (7.53 per cent) and ‘342-manufacture of bodies for motor vehicles; manufacture of trailers and semi-trailers’ (7.82 per cent).
Amongst the industry groups in which the mandays scheduled to work were reported to be more than 0.50 lakh, the highest absenteeism rate was reported at 14.72 per cent in industry group ‘160-Manufacture of the tobacco products’ followed by industry groups ‘271-Manufacture of basic iron and steel’ (11.01 per cent), ‘269-Manufacture of non-metallic mineral products n.e.c.’ (10.32 per cent) and ‘171-Spinning, weaving and finishing of textiles’ (10.26 per cent), whereas the lowest rate of absenteeism was reported in the industry group ‘154-Manufacture of other food products’ (8.60 per cent).
Out of 63 industry groups, absenteeism rate was higher than absenteeism rate at the national level in at least in 31 industry groups. Like wise, out of 63 industry groups, an increase in the rate of absenteeism during 2003, was witnessed in 38 industry groups over absenteeism rate of 2002. As compared to 2002, there was a sharp increase in absenteeism rate in industry groups ‘372-Recycling of non-metal waste and scrap’ and ‘160-Manufacture of the tobacco products’.
2.3 Absenteeism in States by Sectors
Table 2.2.1 shows the State-wise and Sector-wise absenteeism rates during 2003. For the purpose of studying absenteeism by type of ownership, units have been divided into three sectors, viz., Public, Joint and Private Sectors. Among the three sectors, the highest rate of absenteeism at all India level, was reported at 10.90 per cent in Joint Sector, followed by Public Sector (10.51 per cent) and Private Sector (9.92 per cent).
The absenteeism rates in North-Eastern States was were on the lower side in all the sectors except in case of Manipur, where it was highest in Public Sector. The rate of absenteeism in Public Sector was highest at 15.63 per cent in Manipur, followed by Maharashtra (14.29 per cent) and Karnataka (12.30 per cent). The absenteeism rate was recorded lowest in Public Sector at 0.22 per cent in Nagaland, followed by Mehgalaya (1.99 per cent), Jammu & Kashmir (2.64 per cent) and Bihar (2.78 per cent). In Joint Sector, the absenteeism rate was highest at 20.39 per cent in Goa, followed by Jharkhand (20.15 per cent), whereas the lowest rate of absenteeism was recorded at 1.02 per cent in Tripura, followed by Manipur (1.66 per cent). In Private Sector, 6 States/Union Territories , viz. Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Delhi, Maharashtra, Goa and Kerala, recorded absenteeism rates of more than 12 per cent. The absenteeism rate was less than 7 per cent in North-Eastern States, Jammu & Kashmir, Chhattisgarg and Pondicherry.
2.4 Absenteeism in Industries by Sectors
Industry-wise and Sector-wise absenteeism rate for the year 2003 is given in Table 2.2.2. In Public Sector, the rate of absenteeism was recorded more than 20 per cent in two industry groups ‘181-Manufacture of wearing apparel, except fur apparel’ (23.32 per cent) and ‘289-Manufacture of other fabricated metal products; metal working service activities’ (20.52 per cent). The rate of absenteeism was recorded less than 5 per cent in 3 industry groups, viz. ‘323-Manufacture of television and radio receivers, sound or video recording or reproducing apparatus, and associated goods’ (3.86 per cent), ‘160-manufacture of the tobacco products’ (4.57 per cent) and ‘192-Manufacture of foot wear’ (4.24 per cent).
In Joint Sector, the highest rate of absenteeism at 30.40 per cent was reported in industry group ‘201-Saw milling and planing of wood’, whereas the lowest rate of 1.93 per cent was observed in the industry group ‘293-Manufacture of domestic appliances, n.e.c.’. In Private Sector, the highest rate of absenteeism at 14.76 per cent was recorded in industry group ‘160-Manufacture of the tobacco products’, whereas the lowest rate of 5.66 per cent was reported in industry group ‘014-Agricultural and animal husbandry service activities, except veterinary activities’.
Amongst the industry groups in which the mandays scheduled to work were reported to be more than 0.50 lakh, the high absenteeism rate in industry group ‘160-Manufacture of the tobacco products’ was mainly due to high absenteeism rate in Private Sector establishment in the industry group, whereas the low rate of absenteeism in the industry group ‘154-Manufacture of other food products’ were mainly due to low absenteeism rates in Public and Joint Sector establishments in the industry group.