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How to Solve a Chicken Wing Mystery
February 9, 2025
Taking One Side of the Penny Debate
February 11, 2025
A record number of people stayed home from work today.
Super Bowl Absentees
According to an annual Harris Poll survey of 1,220 employed adults, 14% of the employed U.S. labor force–22.6 million Americans–are right now skipping work. Healthy people will have called in sick and some just did not show up. In addition, many others took a pre-approved day off or switched shifts with a co-worker. Meanwhile 12.9 million will arrive late.
It is also likely that productivity will plunge. The 17 million (or so) people who had to work during the game said they would be watching at least some of it. But today too, many of us will be too tired or distracted by the media to give our all to our jobs.
Recognizing that the number of employed people in the labor force totals close to 164 million people, more than 22.6 million is a hefty chunk.
Our Bottom Line: The Labor Force
You need three characteristics to be in counted as a member of the U.S. labor force:
- 16 years or older
- employed with a paying job
- unemployed and looking for a job
To obtain our monthly Employment Report, the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) publishes two surveys. They gather the CPS (the Current Population Survey) and the CES, (Current Employment Statistics). The first (aka, the Household Survey), from approximately 60,000 households, provides the unemployment rate. The second (aka, the Payroll or Establishment Survey), from approximately 120,000 businesses, monitors job creation.
The Economic Policy Innovation Center gave us more of the details:
Since the CES survey data is collected during the week that includes the 12th day of the month, I wonder if Super Bowl absentees and productivity will impact the February numbers.
My sources and more: For the employment report details, the Economic Policy Innovation Center’s discussion was ideal. (The BLS website was not nearly as clear or thorough.). Then, looking at the Harris Poll through the UKG Workforce Institute, we found out much more about Super Bowl absentees.
