Development Trajectory and Prospects of the U.S. Federal Medical Leave Policy

Abstract

The US is one of the few welfare states that do not have a national paid sick leave scheme. However, since 2010, at least 10 state and municipal governments have enacted or drafted their own paid sick leave schemes, and, in many states, different types of paid sick leave were made available depending on the employer. Recently, discussions on the implementation of a paid sick leave policy at the federal level have been active in US political circles led by the Democratic Party. This article investigates the development process and characteristics of the US federal sick leave system and examines the prospects of implementing paid sick leave in the future. In addition, this study derives policy implications from the US case that are relevant to Korea as it gears up to implement a national sickness benefit scheme.