Objective Occupational exposures may play a key role in SARS-CoV-2 infection risk. We used a job-exposure matrix (JEM) linked to the UK Biobank to measure occupational characteristics and estimate associations with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test.

Methods People reporting job titles at their baseline interview at assessment centers in England were included. We excluded healthcare workers and people ≥65 years old by March 2020. Jobs were linked to a JEM based on the US O*NET database. For each job, O*NET-based scores (range=1–5) were assigned for characteristics relevant for SARS-CoV-2 infection: physical proximity, exposure to diseases/infection, outdoors-exposed to weather, and outdoors-under cover. O*NET variables were used to determine whether jobs could be done remotely based on two algorithms. We evaluated SARS-CoV-2 tests occurring between August 5th and November 10th, 2020 (time when UK was not shutdown with a 5-day lag added). Cox regression was used to calculate adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) as estimates of associations with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test accounting for age, sex, race, education, deprivation, assessment center, household size, and income.

Results Our inclusion/exclusion criteria identified 115,581 people, including 1746 with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test. A one-point increase in physical proximity score was associated with 1.12 times higher risk of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test (95%CI=1.03–1.22). A one-point increase in exposure to disease/infections score was associated with 1.08 times higher risk of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test (95%CI=1.01–1.15). There were borderline associations between outdoors work and a positive SARS-CoV-2 test (outdoors-exposed to weather aHR=1.05, 95%CI=1.00–1.10; outdoors-under cover aHR=1.08, 95%CI=1.00–1.17). People reporting jobs that could not be done remotely had higher risk of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test regardless of the algorithm used to classify jobs (aHRs=1.16 and 1.18).

Conclusion Numerous occupational characteristics were associated with increased risk of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test even after accounting for demographic and socioeconomic differences between workers.