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Little benefit in being off sick in the US
Source: Agencies |
November 19, 2009, Thursday
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THE United States lags far behind other nations in offering paid sick days, paid parental leave and other workplace benefits that proponents consider vital to public health and workers rights, according to the latest research.
The eight-year study found the most economically competitive nations offer forms of paid leave to workers that the US does not, according to researchers at Harvard University and Canada's McGill University.
Of the world's 15 most competitive nations, 14 mandate paid sick leave, 13 guarantee paid maternal leave and 12 provide paid paternal leave by law, they said. Eleven provide paid leave to care for children's health and eight provide paid leave for adult family care.
The US legally guarantees none of these policies to workers, the authors note. The findings are published in a new book: "Raising the Global Floor: Dismantling the Myth that We Can't Afford Good Working Conditions for Everyone."
The issue of paid employee leave in the US has heated up. Advocates argue paid leave allows sick workers to stay home without financial hardship and helps prevent workers from spreading diseases such as swine flu.
Advocates for women's rights argue paid family leave is essential for women, who tend to care more for family members than do men, to compete and advance in the job market.
Opponents argue that mandating such leave policies would cost jobs and be a financial burden on businesses.
"One of the questions that's consistently asked in the United States is will we be able to compete if we have paid sick leave, paid maternity leave?" said author Jody Heymann of McGill's Institute for Health and Social Policy. "Will there be more unemployment? Will we lose jobs?
"What we found is that none of these policies in any way impede being highly competitive or having low unemployment," she said.
The 15 nations are Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Britain and the US.
The eight-year study found the most economically competitive nations offer forms of paid leave to workers that the US does not, according to researchers at Harvard University and Canada's McGill University.
Of the world's 15 most competitive nations, 14 mandate paid sick leave, 13 guarantee paid maternal leave and 12 provide paid paternal leave by law, they said. Eleven provide paid leave to care for children's health and eight provide paid leave for adult family care.
The US legally guarantees none of these policies to workers, the authors note. The findings are published in a new book: "Raising the Global Floor: Dismantling the Myth that We Can't Afford Good Working Conditions for Everyone."
The issue of paid employee leave in the US has heated up. Advocates argue paid leave allows sick workers to stay home without financial hardship and helps prevent workers from spreading diseases such as swine flu.
Advocates for women's rights argue paid family leave is essential for women, who tend to care more for family members than do men, to compete and advance in the job market.
Opponents argue that mandating such leave policies would cost jobs and be a financial burden on businesses.
"One of the questions that's consistently asked in the United States is will we be able to compete if we have paid sick leave, paid maternity leave?" said author Jody Heymann of McGill's Institute for Health and Social Policy. "Will there be more unemployment? Will we lose jobs?
"What we found is that none of these policies in any way impede being highly competitive or having low unemployment," she said.
The 15 nations are Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Britain and the US.
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