Table 1 Characteristics of the study participants*.
| Temporary employees, n (%) | Permanent employees, n (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | ||
| 16 to 30 | 8550 (45) | 3303 (8) |
| 31 to 40 | 5786 (30) | 13240 (32) |
| 41 to 50 | 3969 (21) | 18701 (45) |
| 51 to 54 | 788 (4) | 6286 (15) |
| Sex | ||
| Women | 14990 (79) | 30118 (73) |
| Men | 4103 (22) | 11412 (28) |
| Income (quartiles)† | ||
| Lowest | 4758 (26) | 9541 (23) |
| 2nd | 3888 (21) | 11399 (28) |
| 3rd | 5622 (30) | 10778 (26) |
| Highest | 4253 (23) | 9298 (23) |
| Occupational grade | ||
| Manual | 3268 (17) | 10291 (25) |
| Lower grade non‐manual | 8694 (46) | 19210 (47) |
| Higher grade non‐manual | 6782 (36) | 11849 (29) |
| Employer | ||
| Public hospital | 3028 (16) | 4970 (12) |
| Municipality | 16062 (84) | 36551 (88) |
| Urbanisation level | ||
| Urban town | 16981 (89) | 36115 (87) |
| Rural town | 2109 (11) | 5406 (13) |
| Sickness absence days per person‐year | ||
| 0–15 | 15770 (83) | 31146 (75) |
| >15 | 3323 (17) | 10384 (25) |
*p for difference <0.001 for all variables (χ2 test).
†Cut off points for quartiles: 1397€, 1507€, and 1845€ for women; 1539€, 1829€, and 2181€ for men.