RESEARCH ARTICLE
Employment Status, Work Limitations, Cognitive Dysfunction, and Sickness Absenteeism Among US Adults With and Without Long COVID
Nicole D. Ford,
Alexandra F. Dalton,
Deja Edwards,
Hope King,
Sara E. Luckhaupt,
Kevin C. Ma,
Douglas Slaughter,
Sharon R. Silver,
Sharon Saydah
First published: 18 August 2025
https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.70014
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ABSTRACT
Introduction
Long COVID may limit people's ability to carry out daily activities, including work. Little is known about the potential effect of long COVID on work limitations and absenteeism. We describe employment status and characteristics, work limitations, cognitive dysfunction, and sickness absenteeism among adults with and without long COVID.
Methods
Using data from the cross-sectional 2022 National Health Interview Survey, we estimated the prevalence (95% confidence intervals [CI]) of work-related outcomes by long COVID status among US adults ≥ 18 years (
n = 26,270). Among employed adults with prior COVID-19 illness, we estimated crude and adjusted odds ratios for work limitations (compared to no limitations), cognitive dysfunction (some or a lot of difficulty with memory or concentration compared to no difficulty), and sickness absenteeism ( ≥ 11 sick days compared to 0–10 days) in the prior year. All estimates account for survey design and are weighted to the US noninstitutionalized population. Analyses were conducted in 2024.
Results
3.4% of adults reported long COVID. Adults with long COVID more often reported being unable to work due to health or disability compared to adults without long COVID (
p = 0.0006). Among employed adults with prior COVID-19 illness, long COVID was associated with higher odds of work limitations (aOR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1–1.5), cognitive dysfunction (aOR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1–1.5), and sickness absenteeism (aOR 1.4, 95% CI 1.2–1.5) compared to those who did not develop long COVID.
Conclusions
Long COVID was associated with work limitations, cognitive dysfunction, and sickness absenteeism among employed US adults. Workplace accommodations may be important considerations for people with long COVID.
