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absentee rate

absentee rate

1 3.9
The percent of workers who are not at work during a period
  • noun
  • /ˌæb.sənˈtiː ˌreɪt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : tasa de ausentismo
  • Studies that have compared the absentee rate for asthmatic children with that of healthy children have shown that asthmatics miss three times the amount of school (Fowler, Davenport, & Garg, 1992).
  • absentee rate of 10 percent
  • high absentee rate

Examples

  • After analyzing the absentee rate, the school decided to launch a support program for struggling students.

  • Future research using longer periods for data collection may provide a more comprehensive look at the long-term success of the intervention package within a population that experiences a high absentee rate because of health issues.

    Academic text (2008)
  • "She noted that in schools with high absentee rates among students or staffers, it would be appropriate to close schools if they're not able to function."

    Blog text (27)
  • The district's schools found that teachers' absentee rates were down because the teachers had more energy and weren't harming their voices.

    Academic text (2007)
  • During the winter months, the absentee rate in many workplaces can exceed 20% due to illness.

  • The company implemented new policies after noticing a high absentee rate among its employees.

Surface Forms

absentee rate singular

Morphology

absentee + rate

The meaning is directly compositional: 'absentee' (a person who is absent) combined with 'rate' (a measured frequency or percentage) yields the percentage/frequency of absentees. This measurement construction is common cross-linguistically and follows standard English noun + noun composition, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Absentee rate comes from a simple idea: people count how many workers are absentee, meaning 'absent', and turn that number into a rate, or a 'percentage'. So it means the 'percentage' of employees who are 'absent'.