Truman School of Government and Public Affairs

This study examines Missouri workers current access to paid sick leave and potential economic and health impacts of expanded access to short-term, paid sick leave for one’s own health needs or to attend to the needs of a family member or loved one. Particular attention is given to the availability of paid leave for different groups of workers, including essential workers, by occupation, and among women, individuals with low incomes, and racial and ethnic minority populations. The research, which utilizes the U.S. Department of Labor Microsimulation Model on Worker Leave (Worker PLUS), generates robust estimates of all formally employed Missourians without access to paid sick leave and those who had access to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA; Study 1); examines the society-wide and employer costs and benefits of three hypothetical statewide paid sick leave programs (Study 2); and estimates the percent of Missourians employed in the private sector who lack access to paid leave and would use paid sick leave under a hypothetical state program and their demographic, socioeconomic, and employment characteristics (Study 3).