A comparative analysis of paid leave for the health needs of workers and their families around the world

Abstract

The ability of workers to take time off work when they are ill, and when their children or adult family members are ill, is critical to the health of workers and their families. In this study, we examine labor codes and labor-related legislation for 178 countries available from the International Labor Organization, and 160 individual country reports in Social Security Programs Throughout the World to determine the availability of paid sick leave globally and explore whether there is a correlation with four measures of macro-economic status (unemployment, productivity, GDP, competitiveness). We find that 145 nations from around the globe provide paid sick leave for working adults, 33 for care of children and 16 for care of adult family members' needs, and find no evidence of a negative relationship between paid leave for personal or family health needs and macro-economic status.

Notes

1. While some family care and support is needed and can take place outside work hours, some certainly cannot. Illnesses are as likely to occur during the day as at night, and serious health conditions often require either round-the-clock care and assistance with activities of daily living that occur at all times of the day and night, or require interaction with agencies, services or care providers that can be accessed only during regular work hours. The ability of workers to take time off work with pay is thus a necessary condition for family members to be involved in their children's and adult family members' care.

2. This may be due in part to the initial focus among researchers of the European experience on cash transfers which has since evolved over the last 10 years to what has been termed “work/family reconciliation policies” which consist of a new package of policies that go beyond the cash policies and include child care, paid leave, flexibility and part-time work protection.

3. We do not consider the voluntarily offered paid sick leave due to the focus of the Index on government progress in guaranteeing that the needs of working families are met.

4. The unpaid waiting period to qualify for state sickness benefits was not counted in the calculation of the duration of paid leave; however, the main source for data on waiting periods, the SSPTW is unclear as to whether the employee receives wage payment during this time, i.e. the source does not specify if the employee is paid during this period by the employer or whether the employee is paid retroactively for the unpaid waiting period upon qualifying for state sickness benefits, so the paid duration estimates may be underestimates.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Alison Earle

Alison Earle, PhD, is a Research Scientist in the Department of Society, Human Development and Health, the Project Manager for the Work, Family and Democracy Initiative, and a senior member of the Project on Global Working Families.

Jody Heymann

Jody Heymann, MD, PhD, is the Founding Director of the McGill University Institute of Health and Social Policy, the Founding Director of the Project of Global Working Families and has a Canada Research Chair in Health and Social Policy.