New BLS Data Confirm Unequal Access to Paid Leave among U.S. Workers

Data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reveal that many American workers lack access to paid leave from their jobs, and access varies by worker and occupational characteristics. Overall, the new data from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) show that 4 in 10 American workers lack access to paid leave. This is the first time the ATUS has included questions on leave-taking among American workers. 

The findings from the 2011 Leave Module of the ATUS reveal large disparities in access to and use of leave, especially paid leave. Workers with lower wages, those with less education, workers in poorer health, and employees in jobs that put them in direct contact with the public (e.g. sales or hospitality workers) are less likely to have access to leave from their jobs and are more likely to lose pay when they do take leave.Quoting from a blog post today by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR):

“Workers with college degrees are far more likely (72 percent) to have access to paid leave than workers without a high school diploma (35 percent). The BLS data also show large gaps in access between Hispanic and other workers. Hispanic workers are less likely to have access to leave (43 percent) than are non-Hispanic workers (61 percent). White, black, and Asian workers have similar rates of access to paid leave (59, 61, and 62 percent respectively).” 

In addition, workers with less education and those with lower incomes are less able to adjust their schedules without taking time off. Among wage and salary workers age 25 and over, 61% of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher were able to alter their work schedules or location instead of taking time off from work, compared with only 38% of workers with less than a high school diploma.

Read more in the IWPR blog and in the BLS press release.

Jon Peacock