CHAPTER-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. It is 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 the 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 are presented in Tables 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.3 and 2.1.4.  

2.1     Absenteeism in States 

      State-wise absenteeism rate amongst the directly employed regular workers during the year 2001 is presented in Table 2.1.1. It is observed that the rate of absenteeism in Census Sector at all India level decreased to 9.95 percent during as 2001, as compared to 10.43 percent during 2000.  Out of 31 States/Union Territories, the rate of absenteeism was higher in 10 States than the absenteeism rate at national level average. The highest absenteeism rate of 16.91 percent was reported in Andaman & Nicobar Island followed by Himachal Pradesh (14.60 percent), whereas the lowest absenteeism rate was recorded at 1.62 percent only in Nagaland followed by Manipur (2.59 percent).  However, it is observed that as Nagaland and Manipur constitute even less than one percent of the total mandays scheduled to work in the country high or low absenteeism rate in the state may not be of much relevance. The highest absenteeism rate amongst the states/Union Territories, in which the mandays scheduled to work were reported more than 5 percent, was reported in Maharashtra (13.23 percent), while the lowest rate of absenteeism was recorded in Andhra Pradesh (7.55 percent). During 2001, an increase in absenteeism rate was recorded only in 7 States/Union Territories, as compared to that in 2000.  

2.2         Absenteeism in Industries 

     Industry-wise absenteeism rate amongst the directly employed regular workers during 2000 and 2001 is presented in Table 2.1.2. It reveals that during 2001, the highest rate of absenteeism was reported at 12.97 percent in the industry group ‘160-Manufacture of Tobacco products’, whereas the lowest at 1.24 percent in industry group '223-Reproduction of recorded media’.  Out of a total of 62 industry groups, the absenteeism rate in 25 industry groups was recorded in double figures.  This implies that absenteeism is more or less a region related problem as industry-wise rate of absenteeism is more evenly spread over a large number of industry groups, as compared to its state-wise spread where the state to state variation is comparatively quite steep. Out of 62 industry groups, atleast in 26-industry group absenteeism rate was higher than absenteeism rate at the national level.  Like wise, out of 62 industry groups, during 2001, the rate of absenteeism witnessed an increase in 23 industry groups only over the absenteeism rate of 2000. 

2.3         Absenteeism in Sectors by States 

     Table 2.1.3 shows the State-wise and Sector-wise absenteeism rates during 2001.  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 was reported in public sector (10.18 percent), followed by joint sector (10.03 percent) and private sector (9.91 percent). 

 In public sector, the rate of absenteeism varied between a highest rate of 17.58 percent in Rajasthan to lowest rate of 0.29 percent in Nagaland.  In joint sector, the absenteeism rate varied between a highest rate of 23.05 percent in Rajasthan and lowest rate of 0.93 percent in Manipur. In private sector, the absenteeism rate varied between a highest rate of 18.61 percent in Andaman Nicobar Island to a lowest rate of 1.65 percent in Nagaland. 

2.4           Absenteeism in Sectors by Industries 

Industry-wise and Sector-wise absenteeism rate for the year 2001 is given in Table 2.1.4. In public sector, the highest rate of absenteeism of 20.18 percent was recorded in industry group ‘359-Manufacture of transport equipment n.e.c.’, whereas the lowest rate of absenteeism was recorded at 2.07 percent in industry group, ‘319-Manufacture of Other electrical equipment n.e.c’. In private sector, the highest rate of absenteeism at 13.03 percent was recorded in industry group ‘160–Manufacture of tobacco products’, whereas the lowest rate of 1.24 percent was reported in industry group ‘223-Reproduction of recorded media’. In joint sector, the highest rate of absenteeism at 31.93 percent was reported in industry group '172-Manufacture of other textiles’, whereas the lowest rate of 0.87 percent was observed in the industry group ‘291-Manufacture of general purpose machinery’.