JSIT23-04: Does access to paid sick leave facilitate the employment and employment intensity of older workers?

Background: As life expectancy has increased, there has been political pressure to raise the age for retirement benefit claims, even though many American workers detach from the labor market in their fifties and are no longer in paid full-time employment by their early sixties (Berkman and Truesdale 2022). Paid sick leave (PSL) may support older workers in maintaining employment intensity by offering workers the flexibility to address health and caregiving needs. However, little is known about the role of PSL access on older workers’ employment and income.
Methods: The study uses data from the 2010–2018 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), accessed via IPUMS. Stratified multivariate regression models controlling for demographic and employment characteristics are used to explore the association between access PSL and employment intensity among older workers.
Results: Among workers older than age 62, access to PSL is associated with a 28 percent higher likelihood of working full-time (p<0.001) and an average of 7.3 (18.8 percent) more hours per week (p<0.001). The strongest associations between access to paid sick leave and employment intensity are observed among female workers and those with educational attainment beyond a high school degree, and weakest among Latinx workers.
Discussion and implications: PSL access is associated with greater employment intensity as workers age, with implications for economic security given the significant increase in hours worked per week. Public policy requiring employers to provide PSL may reduce disparities in access to PSL and support the employment of older workers.