Drug Use Among U.S. Workers:   Prevalence & Trends by Occupation and Industry

Chapter 5:   Illicit Drug and Heavy Alcohol Use by Occupation, Industry, and Number of Jobs Held in the Past Five Years

Table 5.1 and table 5.2 provide estimates of the prevalence of drug use by number of jobs held in the past five years among full-time workers, ages 18-49. Although the data cannot be used to infer causality, especially since most job changes probably preceded the reported illicit drug or heavy alcohol use, a hypothesis that led to the development of these tables is that drug users tend to change jobs more frequently.

The estimates provide some evidence that support the hypothesis. Among those who reported having held three or more jobs, there was a little over two times the rate of current and past year illicit drug use compared to those who reported having had fewer than three jobs. This difference was especially pronounced and significant in the following occupations: Accountants and Auditors, Executive Managers, Other Management Related Occupations, Nurses Aides, Sales, Food Preparation and Servers, Machine Operators, Construction Trades, and Handlers and Helpers. In Table 5.2, a similar difference in rates was found among the following industries: Construction, Machinery (except electrical), Nondurable Goods, Eating and Drinking Places, Banking and Savings & Loan, Hospitals, and Nursing Homes.

However, for several occupations and industries the rates of drug use for workers with frequent job changes were similar to the rates for workers with less frequent changes. These include Professionals and Technicians, Police, Correctional Officers, and Fire Fighters, Transportation Drivers (Table 5.1), Paper and Allied Products, Telephone and Television, and Colleges and Universities (Table 5.2). In most occupations and industries, those who held three or more jobs reported similar involvement in heavy alcohol use as those who held fewer than three jobs. The few exceptions to this general observation included Sales Clerks, Food Preparation and Servers, Mechanics (Table 5.1), Construction, Automotive and Electrical Repair, and Grocery Stores (Table 5.2).

 

Table 5.1 Percentage of Full-Time Workers, Ages 18-49, Reporting Drug Use, by Revised Occupation Categories and Number of Jobs Held in the Past Five Years, 1991-1993
		Current Illicit Drug Use			Past Year Illicit Drug Use			Heavy Alcohol Use
Occupation Category		Fewer than Three Jobs	Three or More Jobs		Fewer than Three Jobs	Three or More Jobs		Fewer than Three Jobs	Three or More Jobs
Total		5.6	13.0		12.1	25.1		6.3	9.9
Financial Managers (007,025)		2.5	*		6.5	*		9.0	*
Accountants, Auditors, Underwriters, Actuaries & Bookkeepers (23-24,66,337)		2.9	8.3		8.0	17.5		2.8	1.5
Executive Managers (3-6,8-19)		4.4	11.4		10.7	25.0		6.2	4.5
Other Management-Related Occupations (26-37)		3.7	19.2		9.0	*		2.3	*
Architects, Engineers & Engineering Technicians (43-63,213-218)		4.4	7.4		12.3	12.7		6.9	8.4
Physicians, Dentists, Optometrists, Podiatrists, Physicians' Assistants, Dieticians, Pharmacists, Dental Hygienists, Radiological Technicians & Therapists (84-85,87-89,97-106,204,206)		1.7	*		3.3	*		*	*

Table 5.1 (continued) Percentage of Full-Time Workers, Ages 18-49, Reporting Drug Use, by Revised Occupation Categories and Number of Jobs Held in the Past Five Years, 1991-1993
		Current Illicit Drug Use			Past Year Illicit Drug Use			Heavy Alcohol Use
Occupation Category		Fewer than Three Jobs	Three or More Jobs		Fewer than Three Jobs	Three or More Jobs		Fewer than Three Jobs	Three or More Jobs
Clinical Laboratory & Technologists, Health Record Technologists & Technicians (203,205,208)		2.7	*		6.1	*		1.8	*
Nurses (95,207)		2.7	7.7		8.1	*		0.6	*
Nurses Aides, Dental Assistants & Health Aides (445-447)		4.7	11.9		10.4	21.2		3.7	4.6
Scientists, Science Technicians & Social Scientists (67-83,96,166,168-169,173,223-225)		5.8	*		12.1	11.3		*	*
Teachers, Librarians & Teachers' Aides (113-159,164,387)		1.7	5.0		7.9	14.9		1.8	5.1
Social Workers & Psychologists (167,174)		6.6	*		17.5	*		*	*
Lawyers, Judges & Legal Assistants (178-179,234)		*	7.6		18.4	22.3		*	4.1
Computer Analysts & Programmers (64-65,229)		*	*		11.3	*		1.6	*
Writers, Artists, Photographers, Entertainers, Athletes, Designers (183,185-194,198-199)		14.9	*		22.9	*		3.8	8.1
Other Professionals & Technicians (163,165,175-177,184,195,197,226-227,233,235,308-309		5.8	6.7		15.4	18.0		6.0	6.1
Sales Occupations (243-274,277,285)		6.6	11.3		13.2	22.7		5.1	7.4
Sales Clerks & Cashiers (275-276)		7.0	9.9		12.7	21.8		1.8	10.8
Supervisors, Administrative Support (303-307,389)		4.7	2.1		14.6	14.0		*	*
Secretaries, Typists, Stenographers (313-315)		4.4	8.8		8.5	16.5		1.4	1.3
Records Processing Clerks (325-336,338-344,384-386)		1.9	5.2		6.3	*		0.9	*
Duplicating, Mail Clerks & Dispatchers (345-374)		5.9	11.0		14.1	24.6		8.8	8.3
Information Clerks & General Office Clerks (316-323,379)		2.0	*		12.2	23.8		4.9	4.9
Adjusters & Investigators (375-378)		7.3	*		14.1	*		3.4	*
Police, Detectives, Sheriffs, Correctional Officers, Fire Fighters & Guards (413-427)		3.4	3.3		5.6	14.2		10.9	*
Food Preparation, Waiters, Waitresses & Bartenders (433-444)		10.8	25.0		19.4	41.7		10.4	21.3
Cleaning & Building Services (407,448-453)		8.7	19.4		12.9	32.4		5.6	14.7
Child Care Workers (406,468)		0.5	*		3.3	*		*	*
Miscellaneous Personal Services (403-405,454-467,469)		4.1	*		16.8	*		2.7	*
Farming, Fishing & Forestry (473-499)		7.2	11.5		12.7	24.7		9.5	12.7
Mechanics & Vehicle Repairers (503-519)		7.9	12.2		12.2	*		11.6	24.0
Electrical & Electronic Repairers, Other Mechanics & Repairers (523-549)		7.8	*		14.4	23.6		9.6	2.4
Construction Trades (553-599)		9.0	30.1		15.4	41.2		10.4	24.8
Precision Production Occupations (633-699)		7.5	10.9		14.2	*		7.1	10.4
Machine Operators (703-779)		6.6	10.7		13.5	22.2		6.6	8.9
Fabricators, Assemblers & Hand Working Occupations (783-799)		5.5	19.2		9.9	34.0		6.9	10.9
Truck Drivers (804-806)		6.7	8.9		15.3	22.6		13.4	14.7
Other Transportation Drivers (803,808-859)		7.0	7.4		11.0	15.3		11.3	9.4
Handlers, Equipment Cleaners, Helpers, Laborers & Extractive Occupations (613-617,863-889)		7.6	20.6		17.4	34.9		12.7	19.4
Occupation Not Reported or Not Elsewhere Classified (896-999)		4.4	15.0		12.5	29.5		3.7	5.0

Note: Standard occupation codes appear in parentheses. See Table 3.7 for sample sizes, estimated population sizes, percent female, and average age of workers associated with each category. Heavy alcohol use is defined as drinking five or more drinks on five or more occasions during the previous 30 days.

*Low precision; no estimate reported.

Source: Office of Applied Studies, SAMHSA, National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 1991-1993.

 

Table 5.2 Percentage of Full-Time Workers, Ages 18-49, Reporting Drug Use, by Revised Industry Categories and Number of Jobs Held in the Past Five Years, 1991-1993
		Current Illicit Drug Use			Past Year Illicit Drug Use			Heavy Alcohol Use
Industry Category		Fewer than Three Jobs	Three or More Jobs		Fewer than Three Jobs	Three or More Jobs		Fewer than Three Jobs	Three or More Jobs
Total		5.6	13.0		12.1	25.1		6.3	9.9
Agricultural Products, Horticulture & Mining (010-050)		6.4	9.4		13.3	20.9		9.7	9.4
Construction (060)		7.8	26.0		15.3	37.8		11.1	20.7
Manufacturing— Nondurable Goods (100-222)		6.2	9.9		13.2	20.7		6.5	8.3
Food Products (100-130)		7.7	*		15.7	*		7.8	10.6
Textile Mill Products (132-152)		5.3	6.6		9.4	17.0		4.7	5.1
Paper & Allied Products, Publishing & Printing (160-172)		11.1	10.1		21.0	26.8		6.0	10.2
Chemical & Allied Products, Petroleum, Coal, Rubber & Misc. (180-222)		2.2	6.6		8.3	13.8		7.5	8.0

Table 5.2 (continued) Percentage of Full-Time Workers, Ages 18-49, Reporting Drug Use, by Revised Industry Categories and Number of Jobs Held in the Past Five Years, 1991-1993
		Current Illicit Drug Use			Past Year Illicit Drug Use			Heavy Alcohol Use
Industry Category		Fewer than Three Jobs	Three or More Jobs		Fewer than Three Jobs	Three or More Jobs		Fewer than Three Jobs	Three or More Jobs
Manufacturing— Durable Goods (230-392)		5.5	11.4		12.5	23.0		7.4	8.7
Lumber, Stone, Glass & Concrete (230-262)		6.3	12.2		12.8	19.3		11.1	11.6
Metal Industries (270-301)		4.7	*		18.7	*		10.0	*
Machinery, except Electrical (310-332)		4.4	*		9.8	25.6		7.5	*
Electrical Machinery Equipment & Supplies (340-350)		5.1	7.3		10.8	8.6		2.5	3.2
Transportation Equipment (351-370)		4.7	*		10.9	*		6.9	*
Professional Photographic Equipment, Watches & Misc. (371-392)		6.9	11.5		13.5	26.7		7.3	7.2

Note: Standard industry codes appear in parentheses. See Table 3.8 sample sizes, estimated population sizes, percent female, and average age of workers associated with each category. Heavy alcohol use is defined as drinking five or more drinks on five or more occasions during the previous 30 days.

*Low precision; no estimate reported.

Source: Office of Applied Studies, SAMHSA, National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 1991-1993.

This page was last updated on June 16, 2008.

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