Abstract:
Economic output of a country is moderated by many factors and out of which labour is an important element. Absenteeism among the labour force is impeding economy from realising full potential. This study was conducted to find the effect of health and health behaviour on absenteeism of the labour force of Sri Lanka. Study utilized secondary data generated from the annual labour force survey conducted by Department of Census and Statistics Sri Lanka in 2014 The survey was conducted to cover the whole country and throughout the year with a sample of 25,000 households. Health was measured from self-rated health status while health behaviour focused on smoking behaviour and alcohol consumption. The results from logistic regressions indicated that sociodemographic characteristics such as gender, marital status and chronic illnesses and acute illnesses were all found to increase the likelihood of being absent. Smoking was found to increase likelihood of absence while alcohol consumption had similar effect. Good self-rated health status had a likelihood of decreasing absenteeism. Higher absenteeism associated with illnesses, smoking and alcohol consumption highlights the need of preventive and promotion health services.
