Profiling the US Sick Leave Landscape

Arbeitspapier

This paper profiles the sick leave landscape in the US – the only industrialized country without universal access to paid sick leave or other forms of paid leave. We exploit the 2011 Leave Supplement of the American Time Use Survey (ATUS), a representative and comprehensive database on sick leave in the US. The two binary outcome variables measure (i) access to paid sick leave and (ii) suppressed sick leave ("presenteeism"). Thirty-five percent of US full-time employees lack access to paid sick leave. Low-income employees, service sector employees, and those in poor health have the lowest coverage rates. We estimate that, each week, up to three million US employees suppress their need for sick leave and engage in presenteeism behavior. These are primarily women with children and low-wage sector jobs.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 9709

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Health Behavior ; Health Insurance, Public and Private ; Health: Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health ; Time Allocation and Labor Supply ; Safety; Job Satisfaction; Related Public Policy ; Nonwage Labor Costs and Benefits; Retirement Plans; Private Pensions
• Subject: gender inequality ; low-income employees ; unpaid leave ; medical leave ; paid leave ; sick leave ; presenteeism

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Susser, Philip ; Ziebarth, Nicolas R.
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2016

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/141468
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET