Low-Wage Workers Are The Least Likely To Enjoy Paid Holidays And Vacation

Millions of Americans will enjoy the day off on Thursday while still collecting a paycheck for the Fourth of July. But many of the country’s lowest-paid workers won’t be among them.

While the majority of U.S. workers receive paid holidays and vacation these days, those at the bottom of the income scale are the least likely to be eligible for those benefits, according to recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics . The same goes for paid sick days.

Overall, 79% of U.S. workers received paid holidays last year, while 77% were eligible for paid vacation. But for earners in the bottom 10% of wages, those shares dropped to 46% and 43%, respectively.

The numbers were even more stark when it came to sick leave. While 80% of the workforce overall received paid sick days, only 40% of workers in the bottom decile could call out sick and still get paid.

The federal data tracks with a survey last year from the Pew Research Center , which found that 80% or more of upper- and middle-income workers had paid time off and other benefits, compared to two-thirds or less of low-income workers.

American workers put a lot of stock in their time off. More than 60% of respondents in the Pew survey said getting paid time off for vacations and doctor’s visits was “extremely important” to them, while only 51% said the same for employer-sponsored health care coverage.

Paid time off is a benefit like any other, so it’s not surprising that workers who command higher salaries also enjoy more compensated time off. How much you get depends largely on what kind of job you have.

Ninety-six percent of workers in white-collar business and finance jobs received paid holidays last year, while only 57% of workers in service jobs could say the same,