Absenteeism among bus drivers : Experience from Oslo and Akershus

Absenteeism among bus drivers has increased markedly in the period after 2019. This report examines possible explanations for this development. The findings indicate that several of the explanations proposed in earlier studies are not applicable to the situation in Oslo and Akershus. The remaining explanations point to a combination of rising sickness absence in the population more generally and a greater propensity for medically certified sickness absence among certain groups of employees. In particular, bus drivers residing in specific areas and with certain countries of origin appear to have a substantially higher likelihood of medically certified sickness absence than others living in the same areas, as well as compared with individuals with the same country of origin residing in other areas.