Early Lessons from Washington’s Paid Family and Medical Leave
Title
Early Lessons from Washington’s Paid Family and Medical Leave
Alternative Author(s)
Jeung, Chanup
Keyword
Employment Security
; Sickness Allowance
; Social Insurance
Publication Year
2023-03-31
Publisher
Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs
Citation
Global Social Security Review 2023 No.봄 24, pp.42-53
Abstract
Washington State’s sickness benefit scheme―Paid Family and Medical Leave―has, from its inception on, been implemented predicated on the big principle: “Offering benefits without discrimination based on income level, gender, industry, or kind of job.” In the two years following the program’s official introduction in January 2020, over 300,000 workers have benefited from the system. Such a large number of beneficiaries, far more than had been anticipated earlier, led to a slew of operational issues that weighed heavily on the program. This study looks at how Washington State’s sickness benefit scheme works and what problems it has had, and draws out some implications for Korea as it begins to establish its own system.