Legislators across the U.S. are discussing paid family and medical leave, which allows workers to take an extended number of weeks away from their jobs, with some wage replacement, to care for a seriously ill, injured, or disabled family member, or a new child, or to tend to one’s own serious health condition.
More than a dozen states, including NH, are debating how to create new programs, while others, like New Jersey, are broadening the reach of their programs to more workers.
In her brief, author Kristin Smith, a family demographer at the Carsey School of Public Policy and research associate professor of sociology at the University of NH, discusses two key factors—job protection and sufficient wage replacement—that influence participation in paid family and medical leave among lower-wage workers.
She reports that 88 percent of NH workers believe that a wage replacement rate of 60 percent or more for a worker taking leave is the right amount. Read the full brief.
Current Issue - April 2024