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The Anatomy of U.S. Sick Leave Schemes:Evidence from Public School Teachers

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  • Cronin, C.J.;
  • Harris, M. C.;
  • Ziebarth, N. R.;

Abstract

We study how public school teachers use paid leave. Most U.S. sick leave schemes operate as individualized credit accounts—paid leave is earned and unused leave accumulates, producing an employee-specific leave balance. We construct an administrative data set containing the daily balances and leave behavior of 982 teachers from 2010-2018. We find that ick leave use increases during flu season. We do not find evidence that the average teacher uses sick leave for leisure; however, there is evidence of such behavior among certain sub -sets of teachers (e.g., young, inexperienced teachers). Usage increases with leave balance; the elasticity is between 0.38-0.45. Further, higher balances reduce the likelihood that teachers work sick, particularly during flu season.

Suggested Citation

  • Cronin, C.J.; & Harris, M. C.; & Ziebarth, N. R.;, 2024. "The Anatomy of U.S. Sick Leave Schemes:Evidence from Public School Teachers," Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers 24/10, HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York.
    • Handle: RePEc:yor:hectdg:24/10
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    sick leave; teacher absence; presenteeism; moral hazard; labor supply;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I13 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Insurance, Public and Private
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J28 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Safety; Job Satisfaction; Related Public Policy
    • J32 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Nonwage Labor Costs and Benefits; Retirement Plans; Private Pensions

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