Pandemic frontline occupations consist of disproportionately low socioeconomic status and racial minority workers. Documenting occupational health disparities is therefore crucial for understanding COVID-19-related health inequalities in the United States. This study uses Current Population Survey microdata to estimate occupational differences in sickness-related absences (SAs) from work in March through June 2020 and their contribution to educational, racial-ethnic, and nativity health disparities. We find that there has been an unprecedented rise in SAs concentrated in transportation, food-related, and personal care and service occupations. SA rates were 6 times higher in these occupations than in non-health-care professions. The greatest increases were in occupations that are unsuitable for remote work, require workers to work close to others, pay low wages, and rarely provide health insurance. Workers in these occupations are disproportionately Black, Hispanic, indigenous, and immigrants. Occupation contributes 41% of the total of Black/white differences and 54% of educational differences in SAs.

大流行前线职业包括不成比例的低社会经济地位和少数族裔工人。因此，记录职业健康差异对于了解美国与 COVID-19 相关的健康不平等至关重要。本研究使用当前人口调查微观数据来估计 2020 年 3 月至 2020 年 6 月与疾病相关的缺勤 (SA) 的职业差异及其对教育、种族和出生健康差异的贡献。我们发现，专注于交通运输、食品相关以及个人护理和服务行业的 SA 出现了前所未有的增长。这些职业的 SA 率是非医疗保健职业的 6 倍。增幅最大的是不适合远程工作、要求工人与他人近距离工作的职业，工资低，很少提供医疗保险。这些职业的工人不成比例地是黑人、西班牙裔、土著和移民。职业占黑人/白人差异总数的 41% 和 SA 中教育差异的 54%。