Comparison of the Association Between Presenteeism and Absenteeism among Replacement Workers and Paid Workers: Cross-sectional Studies and Machine Learning Techniques.

Background: Replacement drivers represent a significant portion of platform labor in the Republic of Korea, often facing night shifts and the demands of emotional labor. Research on replacement drivers is limited due to their widespread nature. This study examined the levels of presenteeism and absenteeism among replacement drivers in comparison to those of paid male workers in the Republic of Korea.

Methods: This study collected data for replacement drivers and used data from the 6th Korean Working Conditions Survey for paid male workers over the age of 20 years. Propensity score matching was performed to balance the differences between paid workers and replacement drivers. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals for presenteeism and absenteeism by replacement drivers. Stratified analysis was conducted for age groups, educational levels, income levels, and working hours. The analysis was adjusted for variables including age, education, income, working hours, working days per week, and working duration.

Results: Among the 1,417 participants, the prevalence of presenteeism and absenteeism among replacement drivers was 53.6% ( = 210) and 51.3% ( = 201), respectively. The association of presenteeism and absenteeism (adjusted OR [95% CI] = 8.42 [6.36-11.16] and 20.80 [95% CI = 14.60-29.62], respectively) with replacement drivers being significant, with a prominent association among the young age group, high educational, and medium income levels.

Conclusion: The results demonstrated that replacement drivers were more significantly associated with presenteeism and absenteeism than paid workers. Further studies are necessary to establish a strategy to decrease the risk factors among replacement drivers.