Truman School of Government and Public Affairs

Past research demonstrates favorable health and economic outcomes for workers with access to paid sick leave compared to workers without access. Access to paid sick leave in the United States, however, is highly uneven. This brief summarizes a study of all Missouri public and private sector workers and a select group of public-facing essential workers who lack access to paid sick leave. The research utilized the U.S. Department of Labor Microsimulation Model on Worker Leave (Worker PLUS) and incorporated a range of socio-demographic (e.g., sex, age, race/ethnicity, education, household income) and employment characteristics (e.g., employer size, industry, occupation) to produce a fine-grained analysis of Missouri workers who lack access to paid leave.