Male taxi drivers remain at higher risk of dying from COVID than many other occupations reveals data

Men working as taxi drivers, chauffeurs and private hire drivers are at higher risk of dying from COVID-19 than many other occupations according to new analysis.

The new statistics released today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed 209 men working in the taxi, private hire and chauffeur industry had sadly died of coronavirus.

That data presents a rate of 101.4 deaths per 100,000 male drivers.

In total the analysis showed there were 7,961 deaths involving COVID-19 for those classed in the ‘working age’ population, aged between 20 and 64 years in England and Wales.

The data looks closely at COVID deaths registered between 9 March and 28 December 2020, revealing nearly two-thirds of these deaths (64.4%) were among men, with 5,128 deaths compared with 35.6% (2,833 deaths) among women.

Men had a statistically higher rate of death involving COVID-19, with 31.4 deaths per 100,000 men of the working population, compared with 16.8 deaths per 100,000 women.

Workers who operate in closer proximity to each other, and in occupations that have high risk to regular exposure to COVID-19, continue to have higher coronavirus death rates when compared with the rest of the working age group.

The 10 occupations with the highest male rates of death involving COVID-19 were:

• restaurant and catering establishment managers and proprietors (119.3 deaths per 100,000 males; 26 deaths)

• metal working and machine operatives (106.1 deaths per 100,000 males; 40 deaths)

• food, drink and tobacco process operatives (103.7 deaths per 100,000 males; 52 deaths)

• chefs (103.1 deaths per 100,000 males; 82 deaths)

• taxi and cab drivers and chauffeurs (101.4 deaths per 100,000 males; 209 deaths)

• nursing auxiliaries and assistants (87.2 deaths per 100,000 males; 45 deaths)

• elementary construction occupations (82.1 deaths per 100,000 males; 70 deaths)

• nurses (79.1 deaths per 100,000 males; 47 deaths)

• local government administrative occupations (72.1 deaths per 100,000 males; 23 deaths)

• bus and coach drivers (70.3 deaths per 100,000 males; 83 deaths).

Ben Humberstone, ONS Head of Health Analysis and Life Events, said: “Today’s analysis shows that jobs with regular exposure to COVID-19 and those working in close proximity to others continue to have higher COVID-19 death rates when compared with the rest of the working age population. Men continue to have higher rates of death than women, making up nearly two thirds of these deaths.

“As the pandemic has progressed, we have learnt more about the disease and the communities it impacts most. There are a complex combination of factors that influence the risk of death; from your age and your ethnicity, where you live and who you live with, to pre-existing health conditions. Our findings do not prove that the rates of death involving COVID-19 are caused by differences in occupational exposure.”