Sick leave among native and immigrant workers in Spain—a 6-month follow-up study

Soler-González, Jorge; Serna, M. Catalina; Bosch, Anna; Ruiz, Maria-Cristina; Huertas, Elisard; Rué, Montserrat

doi:10.5271/sjweh.1288

Cited by 19 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Other studies carried out in Spain have shown that sickness absence is higher in autochthonous workers than in immigrants [16,31], and the same situation was found in our sample. A higher absenteeism was observed in Spanish workers in comparison with their foreign-born counterparts through additional analysis measured through the same questions from the survey.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…In spite of indicators that show worse employment conditions, previous studies have observed that immigrants are less likely to miss work for a health problem when compared with the autochthonous population after adjustment for age and the duration of sick leave [16]. Among the explanations suggested by the literature include: a) the healthy migrant effect, by which immigrants arrive in host countries with relatively good physical and mental health status due to selection as part of the migratory process [17], and b) presenteeism, whereby workers go to work despite being sick [18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sickness presenteeism in Spanish-born and immigrant workers in Spain

et al. 2010

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BackgroundPrevious studies have shown that immigrant workers face relatively worse working and employment conditions, as well as lower rates of sickness absence than native-born workers. This study aims to assess rates of sickness presenteeism in a sample of Spanish-born and foreign-born workers according to different characteristics.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted amongst a convenience sample of workers (Spanish-born and foreign-born), living in four Spanish cities: Barcelona, Huelva, Madrid and Valencia (2008-2009). Sickness presenteeism information was collected through two items in the questionnaire ("Have you had health problems in the last year?" and "Have you ever had to miss work for any health problem?") and was defined as worker who had a health problem (answered yes, first item) and had not missed work (answered no, second item). For the analysis, the sample of 2,059 workers (1,617 foreign-born) who answered yes to health problems was included. After descriptives, logistic regressions were used to establish the association between origin country and sickness presenteeism (adjusted odds ratios aOR; 95% confidence interval 95%CI). Analyses were stratified per time spent in Spain among foreign-born workers.ResultsAll of the results refer to the comparison between foreign-born and Spanish-born workers as a whole, and in some categories relating to personal and occupational conditions. Foreign-born workers were more likely to report sickness presenteeism compared with their Spanish-born counterparts, especially those living in Spain for under 2 years [Prevalence: 42% in Spanish-born and 56.3% in Foreign-born; aOR 1.77 95%CI 1.24-2.53]. In case of foreign-born workers (with time in Spain < 2 years), men [aOR 2.31 95%CI 1.40-3.80], those with university studies [aOR 3.01 95%CI 1.04-8.69], temporary contracts [aOR 2.26 95%CI 1.29-3.98] and salaries between 751-1,200€ per month [aOR 1.74 95% CI 1.04-2.92] were more likely to report sickness presenteeism. Also, recent immigrants with good self-perceived health and good mental health were more likely to report presenteeism than Spanish-born workers with the same good health indicators.ConclusionsImmigrant workers report more sickness presenteeism than their Spanish-born counterparts. These results could be related to precarious work and employment conditions of immigrants. Immigrant workers should benefit from the same standards of social security, and of health and safety in the workplace that are enjoyed by Spanish workers.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sickness presenteeism in Spanish-born and immigrant workers in Spain

et al. 2010

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“…Previous research shows greater prevalence of presenteeism among immigrant workers in Spain in comparison with Spanish workers [Agudelo‐Suárez et al, ]. Another study centered on work absenteeism as reported to primary care centers in Catalonia (Spain) [Soler‐González et al, ] identified a lower frequency of sickness absence in this group in comparison with locals. Authors also identified that the average duration of work absences was lower among immigrant workers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Understanding sickness presenteeism through the experience of immigrant workers in a context of economic crisis

Galon

Briones-Vozmediano

Agudelo‐Suárez

et al. 2014

American J Industrial Med

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“…Los estudios dedicados a las desigualdades sociales en salud han puesto de manifiesto en múltiples ocasiones que ciertos colectivos, como la población con menores recursos económicos, las mujeres y los inmigrantes presentan indicadores de salud que denotan una peor situación 4 . Por ejemplo, en el caso de los pacientes inmigrantes se han realizado trabajos varios en España que demuestran claras desigualdades en el uso de los servicios sanitarios 5,6 , de farmacia 7,8 , y en bajas laborales 9 .…”

Section: Introductionunclassified