Overall, more workers than ever have access to paid sick days

Link to blog post: https://nationalpartnership.org/record-high-paid-sick-days-access-means-little-for-part-time-low-wage-workers/

WASHINGTON, D.C. – September 28, 2026 – A new analysis by experts from the National Partnership for Women & Families (NPWF) of data released by Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), shows 81 percent of private-sector workers can now take paid time off work when they’re sick – but 24 million workers still lack access.

While the latest data highlights the growth in the number of people able to take sick leave, NPWF experts took a close look at which private-sector workers continue to be without paid sick leave. They include the following:

• Non-union workers. The analysis found that belonging to a union increases paid sick leave access: 20 percent of non-union workers do not have access to paid sick days compared to only 12 percent of union workers who don’t have access.
• Part-time workers. Working less than full-time hours impacts access to paid sick leave. Forty-one percent of part-time workers still don’t have it.
• Low-paid workers. Of workers who make less than $19 an hour, 39 percent are unable to take paid sick time off work.

“This year, Virginia became the 19th state, including DC, to provide paid sick leave to its workers. The new data today demonstrates this progress is making a real difference, with 47 percent of all workers living in jurisdictions that have passed paid sick leave laws. The momentum in states and localities across the country is a response to incredible advocacy from workers and lawmakers who recognize the economic and public health imperative of these laws,” said Sharita Gruberg, VP for economic justice at the National Partnership for Women & Families. While there’s been tremendous progress, we can’t afford to leave millions of workers behind. We know that women, and women of color, are disproportionately represented in jobs that lack access to even a single paid sick day and won’t stop fighting until every worker has the protections they need.”

NPWF experts note that this year’s BLS release includes a new measure of paid family and medical leave access, instead of the previously-reported measure, paid family leave – which the Bureau last reported in 2023. According to the newly-released measure, 49 percent of private-sector workers have access to paid family or medical leave through their employer, though no further demographic breakouts were provided.

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