Substance use can have a negative impact on people's lives and careers. It can make keeping jobs more difficult and cause employees to miss work or be injured on the job.1
According to combined 2008 to 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data, adults aged 18 to 64 who were unemployed were more likely than those in other employment groups to have had a past year substance use disorder.2,3 About three fifths of the U.S. population aged 18 to 64 (or 113.1 million persons) are full-time workers. As a result, most adults with substance use disorders are employed full time (55.1 percent).
Because most people with substance use disorders are employed, employers may want to provide their employees with information on identifying and treating alcohol or drug abuse.1 For more information about workplace-based strategies to address substance abuse, please visit http://workplace.samhsa.gov/.
Employment Status | Number of Adults | Number with SUD | Percent with SUD |
---|---|---|---|
Employed Full Time | 113 million | 10.8 million | 9.5% |
Employed Part Time | 28 million | 3.3 million | 12.0% |
Unemployed | 13 million | 2.2 million | 16.8% |
Not in the Labor Force* | 37 million | 3.3 million | 9.0% |
* Not in the labor force includes those adults who are neither working nor seeking work |