Male social care workers, security guards, taxi drivers, bus drivers, chefs and shop workers are dying at a faster rate from Covid-19 than those in other occupations, according to new figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The data showed men are more likely to die than women from Covid-19, with 9.9 in every 100,000 men succumbing to the virus, compared to 5.2 for women.
The rates vary massively between different jobs. Care workers are almost twice as likely to die from Covid-19 than the average. Among men, those working in what the ONS classes as “low skilled elementary occupations”, including cleaners and construction workers, are nearly four times more likely to die from coronavirus as those in “professional occupations”.
Male security guards are almost five times as likely to die than average, male taxi drivers and chauffeurs are almost four times as likely, and male bus drivers are almost three times as likely. Male chefs are nearly four times as likely to die from the disease, the ONS found, while male shop assistants are twice as likely.
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Healthcare workers, including doctors and nurses, did not have a significantly higher rate of deaths than the general population. Those in professional and technical occupations were less likely to die than average.
The differences were less stark among women, with carers the only group with a statistically significant increased risk.
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The ONS said that the data does not conclusively prove that differences in occupations have led to varying death rates. Other factors, such as ethnic group or geographical location, are also likely to play a part, it said.