Employment of people with a history of sickness absence

This register-based follow-up study focuses on the association between workplace characteristics and recruitment of people with a history of sickness absence. The aim was to study whether recruitment differs with regard to workplace sector, number of employees, gender composition, educational level and average age, and whether these workplaces recruit differently with regard to gender and diagnosis. Swedish workplaces with five employees or more in 2012 were chosen (n = 138 081). The results showed that workplaces most likely to recruit people with a history of sickness absence were those characterized by being in the public and non-profit sector, being female-dominated, having few employees, a high proportion of low educated employees and a high average age. The likelihood of recruiting people with different diagnoses was, with a few exceptions, similar between various types of workplaces. Recruitment of men and women with a history of sickness absence was similar between the different workplaces.