Adults with long COVID experience more productivity loss on the job and are more likely to leave the workplace altogether compared with people who recover from COVID or never develop persistent symptoms, according to a study published this week in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases.
“In this large population-based cohort in a Western European setting, individuals with long-term post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) showed markedly higher rates of workforce exit and productivity loss compared with those recovered or never affected,” write researchers from the South Limburg Public Health Service and Maastricht University in the Netherlands.
Workers with long COVID more likely to leave jobs
For the study, the researchers followed up with 3,342 employed adults who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 from 2020 to 2022 and assessed their employment status and work functioning two years later.
By 2024, 17% of participants with long COVID had left the workforce, compared with 10% of those who had recovered from long COVID and 9% of those who never reported ongoing symptoms.
After adjusting for other possible confounding factors, long COVID remained associated with higher rates of leaving the workplace. Those with the condition had a 38% higher likelihood of workplace exit (adjusted odds ratio, 1.38; 95% confidence interval, 1.02 to 1.86).
Persistent symptoms hinder workplace performance
For those with long COVID who remained employed, work productivity was more likely to suffer compared with those without the condition.
Absenteeism, or work missed because of health, was highest in the long-COVID group, at 14%. Those who had recovered from the condition experienced an 8% absenteeism rate, compared with 5% for those who never had the condition.
In addition, presenteeism (working while ill) was higher for those with PCC. Presenteeism was up to three times higher in those with PCC (43%), compared with those who had recovered from the condition (23%) and those who never had the condition (13%).
These results highlight the substantial personal, societal, and economic burden of PCC and the urgent need for long-term support.
“Absenteeism and presenteeism were higher in participants with PCC and those who had recovered, compared with Never PCC, despite similar working hours across all three groups,” write the researchers. “This likely reflects residual symptoms and reduced work capacity in those recovered, possibly influenced by limited workplace support or changes in job demands.”
Among participants who had left the workforce, 46% of those with long COVID reported being unable to work because of health issues, compared with 17% of recovered participants and 12% of those who had never experienced long COVID.
The study also found that long COVID put financial strain on people. More than half (54%) of unemployed participants with the condition reported financial difficulty, compared with 19% of those who never had persistent symptoms.
‘Urgent need for long-term support’
“PCC substantially impacts workforce participation and productivity,” write the researchers. They also note that the financial strain on those whose ability to work is affected by COVID may further restrict their access to healthcare and worsen overall health.
“These results highlight the substantial personal, societal, and economic burden of PCC and the urgent need for long-term support, workplace accommodations, and targeted interventions.”
They suggest that flexible schedules, remote work, phased return-to-work programs, and modified workloads could help people with long COVID remain employed.
