The Need for Continued Bipartisan Momentum on Paid Leave
In a new piece, Adrienne Schweer, a fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), and Abby McCloskey, a member of the AEI-Brookings Paid Leave Working Group, express the need for bipartisan support for a federal paid leave program. The authors cite a recent BPC poll that found that nearly two out of three workers (63 percent) say that they would be somewhat or very likely to return to work sooner if they knew they had access to paid leave. Polls have also indicated a notable benefit to minority workers, as 73 percent of Black and 67 percent of Hispanic workers on unemployment insurance say they would be more likely to return to work if they had access to paid family leave. A new poll from AEI has also shown that a significant gap in paid leave coverage exists, particularly for vulnerable workers, as one-fifth of working age adults report an unmet need for leave during the pandemic, with greater prevalence among those with children and those with a household income below $50,000. Schweer and McCloskey stress that paid leave can be provided in a bipartisan way.