Millions of Americans Are Calling in Sick, Stunting the Recovery

Amid the surge in the ranks of the unemployed during the pandemic, another crucial problem in the labor market has gone mostly overlooked: Workers are calling out sick in record numbers this year.

Whether it’s because they have Covid-19 themselves, are worried about getting it or are taking care of someone who already has it, the number of workers who’ve missed days on the job has doubled in the pandemic.

What’s more, unlike the jobless rate, which has steadily declined from its April peak, the rate of abseenteism -- as it is called by economists -- has remained stubbornly ...