A record number of private-sector employees—64%—now have access to paid sick leave, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
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That number is up from 61% last year and represents the highest number in history, DOL’s chief economist, Heidi Shierholz, says. And that jump was almost entirely felt by workers with the lowest income, she wrote in a blog post.
Last year, 31% of workers in the lowest compensation quartile had paid sick leave. This year, 39% do. And while a disparity in leave access based on compensation still exists (workers in high-paying jobs are 2.2 times more likely to have access to paid sick leave), “this is a positive step for the workers who can least afford to take unpaid time off to care for themselves or their families,” Shierholz said.
In addition to the disparity based on income, the numbers also show a difference based on employer size. While 56% of those working for an employer with fewer than 100 employees have access to paid sick leave, the percentage increases to 79% at larger companies. (Of those employed by state or local governments, 90% have access to paid sick leave.)
Shierholz said the numbers were good news for employees and would naturally continue to rise as more states and localities adopt laws requiring paid sick leave. Predictably, BLS found that the largest increase occurred in the “Pacific Census Division,” which includes California and Oregon—two states that implemented paid sick leave mandates in the past year.
