2017–18 Access to and Use of Leave — 2019-08-29

In 2017-18, 66 percent of wage and salary workers had access to paid leave at their jobs, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This was an increase from 2011, when 60 percent of workers had access to paid leave. These findings are from a supplementary set of questions--the 2017-18 Leave and Job Flexibilities Module--that was asked as part of the American Time Use Survey (ATUS), and sponsored by the Department of Labor's Women's Bureau. The data on leave were collected directly from wage and salary workers, excluding the self-employed. Workers sometimes do not know whether they can use leave until they have a need to do so. The measures of leave apply only to a person's sole or main job. For individuals with more than one job, this is the job in which they usually work the most hours. For more information about the ATUS Leave and Job Flexibilities Module, see the Technical Note.