Commuting time and absenteeism: Evidence from a natural experiment

This paper investigates the effect of commuting time on absenteeism using a natural experiment. This relationship is notoriously difficult to assess without exogenous shocks to commuting and with the survey data typically exploited. The study uses detailed administrative data for Luxembourg to measure the impact on work absences of a temporary shock to commuting time caused by large-scale roadworks at the border between Belgium and Luxembourg. The roadworks affected the commuting time of cross-border workers from Belgium, leaving cross-border commuters from France as a natural control group in a difference-in-difference setup. The findings reveal a positive -- but quantitatively relatively small -- effect of commuting time on absenteeism, driven mainly by increased absences due to reported illness or family reasons. Male workers appear to respond more than female workers to the shock in commuting time.