The long-term consequences of early school absences for educational attainment and labour market outcomes

Abstract

Absences from school can have negative effects on a child's education, including the loss of teacher-led lessons, peer interactions, and, ultimately, academic achievement. However, little is known about the long-term consequences of school absences for overall educational attainment and labour market outcomes. In this paper, we used data from the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70) to study the long-term effects of school absences in late childhood on individuals’ educational attainment, social class, unemployment, and earnings at age 42 while adjusting for a comprehensive set of risk factors of school absences. Our findings show that school absences are associated with lower educational attainment and a greater likelihood of non-employment at age 42. Individuals who missed five days of school at age 10 were 5.7% more likely to have obtained no qualifications and 4.2% more likely to be out of the labour force. However, we did not find a significant impact of school absences on individuals’ earnings or time in unemployment after adjusting for risk factors of school absences. Our findings suggest that the negative effects of school absences persist beyond schooling into adulthood. Overall, this study highlights the importance of addressing school absenteeism to promote educational and career success over the life course.