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Employer vs government parental leave: Labour market effects

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  • Del Rey, Elena
  • Racionero, Maria
  • Silva, Jose I.

Abstract

A relatively large number of firms in Australia and in the US offer employer-funded parental leave to their employees. We introduce employer-funded parental leave in a theoretical labour search and matching model. Firms choose the duration of paid parental leave offered to prospective employees. Matched firms and workers then negotiate wages through a Nash bargaining process. We show that employer-funded leave allows firms to pay lower wages. In this context, extending government-funded parental leave reduces the benefits of employer-funded leave to firms, reducing total leave duration. It also affects equilibrium wages and employment. We calibrate the model using Australian data. We show that increases in both government-funded leave duration and replacement rate can be welfare improving and, in particular, the welfare effects of government leave duration display an inverted U-shape.

Suggested Citation

  • Del Rey, Elena & Racionero, Maria & Silva, Jose I., 2024. "Employer vs government parental leave: Labour market effects," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecmode:v:136:y:2024:i:c:s0264999324001020
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econmod.2024.106746
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Employer-funded paid parental leave; Wages; Employment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J30 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - General
    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search
    • J68 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Public Policy

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