24% of Workers Do Not Have Paid Sick Leave

As the coronavirus threatens to keep many Americans at home, now is the time to review paid sick leave in the United States. While 76 percent of the nation's workers have paid sick leave, 24 percent do not. They can't stay home without a pay cut. Here is the percentage of workers in 2019 without paid sick leave by occupation and earnings...

Workers without paid sick leave by major occupational group
39% of workers in service occupations
36% of workers in sales occupations
32% of workers in natural resources, construction, or maintenance occupations
30% of production workers
10% of professional workers
  6% of workers in management, business, and financial occupations

Workers without paid sick leave by average wage
69% of workers with wages in the bottom 10 percent
49% of workers with wages in the lowest 25 percent
21% of workers with wages in the second 25 percent
12% of workers with wages in the third 25 percent
  8% of workers with wages in the highest 25 percent
  6% of workers with wages in the top 10 percent

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employee Benefits in the United States Summary

Gaping Holes in the Safety Net

Gig workers have become a controversial symbol of the gaping holes in the American safety net. Behind the outrage over gig work is our employer-based benefit system, which excludes independent contractors from medical benefits, retirement savings, and other protections. Independent contractors aren't the only ones who are on their own. Most low-wage workers are too...

Percentage of workers whose employer provides medical care benefits, by average wage quartile
Highest: 94%
Third: 88%
Second: 74%
Lowest: 40%

Percentage of workers whose employer provides retirement benefits, by average wage quartile
Highest: 90%
Third : 84%
Second: 70%
Lowest: 46%

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employee Benefits in the United States—March 2019

21% Take Time Off from Work During Average Week

During an average week, 21 percent of wage and salary workers take time off from their job—either paid or unpaid, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' American Time Use Survey. The reasons for taking leave include vacation, illness, family needs, or personal errands.

Among the 30 million wage and salary workers who take any leave—paid or unpaid—during an average week, this is their main reason for taking time off...

31.0% for vacation
21.9% for own illness or medical care
19.8% to run errands or for personal reasons
  8.0% for illness or medical care of a family member
  6.9% because of a holiday
  3.1% for childcare or eldercare (except illness)
  1.8% because of the weather
  1.4% for birth or adoption of a child
  6.2% for some other reason

Women are more likely than men to take time off during an average week due to the illness or medical care of a family member (10.3 versus 5.5 percent). Among parents of children under age 13, a substantial 14.4 percent take leave during an average week due to the illness or medical care of a family member. Interestingly, these parents are much less likely than average to take time off for their own illness—16.7 percent do so during an average week versus 21.9 percent of all workers.

Overall, 66 percent of wage and salary workers had access to paid leave in 2017–18, up from 60 percent in 2011. Not surprisingly, workers in management are most likely to have access to paid leave (81.5 percent), while those in service (43.2 percent) and construction (35.8 percent) are least likely.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Access To and Use of Leave Summary

How Much Do You Pay for Health Insurance?

The nation's private-sector workers who receive health insurance from an employer pay only a fraction of the cost. Their employer pays the rest. Here are the latest health insurance cost estimates from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey and how they compare to costs in 2004...

Average annual cost for single coverage in 2017 (and 2004)
Total premium: $6,368 ($3,705)
Employer contribution: $4,953 ($3,034)
Employee contribution: $1,415 ($671)

Average annual cost for employee plus-one coverage in 2017 (and 2004)
Total premium: $12,789 ($7,056)
Employer contribution: $9,258 ($5,390)
Employee contribution: $3,531 ($1,667)

Average annual cost for family coverage in 2017 (and 2004)
Total premium: $18,687 ($10,006)
Employer contribution: $13,469 ($7,568)
Employee contribution: $5,218 ($2,438)

Employee contributions for health insurance have more than doubled since 2004, and employer contributions have grown 63 to 78 percent. Employer contributions grew more slowly during those years because private-sector businesses are requiring their employees to pay a higher share of the total. For employees with single coverage, their share of the health insurance premium grew from 18 to 22 percent between 2004 and 2017. For those with plus-one or family coverage, their share of the bill climbed from 24 to 28 percent.

Source: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, MEPS Insurance Component Chartbook 2017

The Cost of Employer-Provided Health Insurance

With so much attention being paid to the rising cost of Obamacare premiums, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that most Americans (56 percent) are covered by employment-based health insurance. If you want to understand trends in the cost of health insurance for the majority of Americans, you won't find a better source than the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Insurance Component Chartbook 2015. The Chartbook details the cost of health insurance benefits provided by private- and public-sector (state and local government) employers. The Chartbook examines trends in costs for single coverage, employee-plus-one, and families. These are the trends in single coverage costs over the past decade...

Total premium for single coverage
2015: $5,963
2005: $3,991
Change: +49%

Employee contribution for single coverage
2015: $1,255
2005:    $723
Change: +74%

Annual individual deductible
2015: $1,541
2005:    $652
Change: +136%

Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Insurance Component Chartbook 2015

Workplace Retirement Plans, 2016

Are workplace retirement plans a benefit for the affluent? That's what the data suggest. The latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals the stark retirement benefit divide between low-wage and high-wage workers. Among private-sector workers overall, 66 percent have access to a workplace retirement plan—meaning their employer offers a plan and they are eligible to participate. But access varies greatly by wage quartile...

Percentage of private-sector workers with access to a workplace retirement plan
Lowest wage quartile (less than $12.40/hour): 42%
Second wage quartile ($12.40 to $18.51/hour): 65%
Third wage quartile ($18.52 to $29.79/hour): 78%
Highest wage quartile ($29.80 or more/hour): 87%

It gets worse. Among workers with access to a retirement plan, only 22 percent of those in the lowest-wage quartile participate in their employer's retirement plan versus 76 percent of those in the highest-wage quartile. For low-wage workers, even these meager rates likely overstate reality because they exclude agricultural and private household workers.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employee Benefits in the United States—March 2016

Workers with Paid Sick Leave

Only 61 percent of the nation's private-sector workers get paid sick leave. Here is the percentage with paid sick leave by occupation...

88% of managers
78% of professionals
73% of office workers
67% of installation/maintenance/repair workers
57% of production workers
55% of transportation workers
53% of sales workers
39% of service workers
36% of construction/extraction/farming workers

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employee Benefits in the United States—March 2015