Positive Health Externalities of Mandating Paid Sick Leave

Pichler, Stefan; Wen, Katherine; Ziebarth, Nicolas R.

doi:10.1002/pam.22284

Cited by 34 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…The United States is one of the few developed countries without universal sick leave coverage; working sick is an ongoing problem reinforcing the spread of COVID-19 ( 4 – 6 ). In line with previous studies, we show that access to paid sick leave reduces unaddressed sick leave needs ( 7 – 9 ).…”

supporting

confidence: 93%

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Awareness and use of (emergency) sick leave: US employees’ unaddressed sick leave needs in a global pandemic

Jelliffe

Pangburn

Pichler

et al. 2021

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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We study US sick leave use and unaddressed sick leave needs in the midst of the global severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS COV 2) pandemic based on a representative survey. More than half of all US employees are unaware of the new emergency sick leave options provided by the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). Awareness and take-up rates are significantly higher among Asian Americans and lower among the foreign-born. About 8 million employees used emergency sick leave in the first 6 to 8 mo. Nevertheless, the share of employees who needed but could not take paid sick leave tripled in the pandemic; unaddressed sick leave needs total 15 million employees per month and are 69% higher among women. Our findings show that access to paid sick leave significantly reduces unaddressed sick leave needs. We conclude that given the fragmented US sick leave landscape, to address the strong increase in unaddressed sick leave needs during the pandemic, federal FFCRA response was not adequate.

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supporting

confidence: 93%

“…Employees in the low-wage and service sector and part-time employees have significantly lower coverage rates ( 10 ). Access to sick leave induces take-up and reduces flu and COVID-19 infection rates ( 6 – 9 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Awareness and use of (emergency) sick leave: US employees’ unaddressed sick leave needs in a global pandemic

Jelliffe

Pangburn

Pichler

et al. 2021

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Testing and tracing appears to work well in countries with good social security and in particular high coverage of paid sick leave in case isolation is needed. This effect has been shown for earlier influenza episodes as well (Pichler et al, 2020). without reliance on contact tracing (Taipale, Romer and Linnarsson, 2020).…”

mentioning

confidence: 68%

The tortoise and the hare: The race between vaccine rollout and new COVID variants

Turner

2021

OECD Economics Department Working Papers

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This document, as well as any data and map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. | ECO/WKP(2021)23Unclassified OECD Working Papers should not be reported as representing the official views of the OECD or of its member countries. The opinions expressed and arguments employed are those of the author(s).Working Papers describe preliminary results or research in progress by the author(s) and are published to stimulate discussion on a broad range of issues on which the OECD works.

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“…For example, influenza surveillance data in the United States shows that access to paid sick leave led to a decline of 290 influenza-like illnesses per 100,000 individuals per week. 28 An OECD report notes that that paid sick leave reduced influenza-like illness rates by 10% and total work absence by 18% in some American cities. 29…”

Section: Evidence For the Effectiveness Of Paid Sick Leavementioning

confidence: 99%

Benefits of Paid Sick Leave During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Thompson¹,

Stall²,

Born³

et al. 2021

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Multiple jurisdictions have adopted or adapted paid sick leave policies to reduce the likelihood of employees infected with SARS-CoV-2 presenting to work, which can lead to the spread of infection in workplaces. During the COVID-19 pandemic, paid sick leave has been associated with an increased likelihood of workers staying at home when symptomatic. Paid sick leave can support essential workers in following public health measures. This includes paid time off for essential workers when they are sick, have been exposed, need to self-isolate, need time off to get tested, when it is their turn to get vaccinated, and when their workplace closes due to an outbreak. In the United States, the introduction of a temporary paid sick leave, resulted in an estimated 50% reduction in the number of COVID-19 cases per state per day. The existing Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) cannot financially protect essential workers in following all public health measures, places the administrative burden of applying for the benefit on essential workers, and neither provides sufficient, nor timely payments. Table 1 lists the characteristics of a model paid sick leave program as compared with the CRSB. Implementation of the model program should be done in a way that is easy to navigate and quick for employers.

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Positive Health Externalities of Mandating Paid Sick Leave

Cited by 34 publications

References 59 publications

Awareness and use of (emergency) sick leave: US employees’ unaddressed sick leave needs in a global pandemic

Awareness and use of (emergency) sick leave: US employees’ unaddressed sick leave needs in a global pandemic

The tortoise and the hare: The race between vaccine rollout and new COVID variants

Benefits of Paid Sick Leave During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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