Job absence rate continues to drop

For the second consecutive quarter, job absence rates continued to fall -- from 2.7 percent of scheduled work time for the first quarter of 1981, to 2.5 percent in the second quarter of this year, reports the Bureau of National Affairs Inc.

The all-company average absence rate for the first six months of 1981 stands at 2.5 percent -- the lowest figure recorded for the first half of any year of the BNA survey.

Companies with fewer than 250 employees have the lowest monthly absence rate for the period January through June (2.2 percent), while those with 1,000-2,499 employees have the highest rate (2.9 percent).

In contrast to the continuing decrease in job absence rates, rising job turnover rates caused the monthly average to increase from 1.2 percent of the work force for the first quarter to 1.5 percent for the second quarter of 1981.