Paid sick leave status in relation to government sponsored welfare utilization

Nearly a third of all U.S. workers, primarily lower-paid employees, do not have paid sick leave benefits, prompting some lawmakers to consider mandating paid sick leave for all U.S. employees so workers can access timely health care without lost wages. A representative sample of 19,537 workers in current paid employment was examined, searching for the association between access to paid sick leave benefits and receipt of six different welfare and welfare-related services. After controlling for relevant demographic, work, income, and medical/health care variables, results of the logistic models indicate that, among working adults age 18-64, those without paid sick leave are 1.41 times more likely to receive income from a state or county welfare program, 1.36 times more likely to receive other welfare assistance (transportation and child care supports), 1.33 times more likely to received sponsored rental assistance, and 1.34 times more likely to receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits (referred to as food stamps commonly and in this article). Mandating paid sick leave benefits may impact usage of social welfare assistance since families with paid sick leave do not have to lose wages when work is missed because of health and caregiver responsibilities.