Study Shows Paid Leave Will Cost Thousands of Jobs

NEWS RELEASE

CONTACT: Suzanne Collins Stoltenberg, NFIB/PA Communications Director 717-232-8582 [email protected]

State Study of Paid Leave Must Consider Impact on Small Business and Jobs
NFIB research this year shows thousands of job losses if policy is adopted in Pennsylvania

HARRISBURG, PA. (August 10, 2016) – The state of Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry announced this week it received a $250,000 federal grant to study family leave models and programs. NFIB’s Research Foundation conducted a study earlier this year to determine the impact mandated paid leave would have on small business in the Commonwealth. That study showed it would erase nearly 8 thousand jobs in the first year in Pennsylvania and reduce economic output by over a billion dollars. By the year 2025 the total number of jobs lost in Pennsylvania would be 16,445, while the cumulative drop in the state’s economic output would be about 2.8 billion.

THE REPORT [L]http://www.nfib.com/assets/BSIM_HealthyFamiliesAct2015-Jan-14-20161.pdf[EL]

"There’s been a push in Washington and Harrisburg to force employers to give workers several days of paid leave each year, but this report reflects the cold, hard truth: Mandatory paid leave is too expensive and would cost Pennsylvania too many jobs," said Kevin Shivers, state director of NFIB/Pennsylvania.

"Small Businesses provide the best benefits to their employees that they can afford," Shivers said. "This one-size-fits-all approach is another attempt by the government to get in between employers and their employees. What a lot of politicians seem to forget is that what works for a multinational conglomerate might not work for the shop down the street."

"We hope that when the state studies paid leave, it examines the impact on small business and the potential for lost jobs," said Shivers.

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NFIB is the nation’s leading small-business association, with offices in Washington, D.C. and all 50 state capitals. Founded in 1943 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, NFIB gives small and independent business owners a voice in shaping the public policy issues that affect their business. NFIB’s powerful network of grassroots activists sends their views directly to state and federal lawmakers through our unique member-only ballot, thus playing a critical role in supporting America’s free enterprise system. NFIB’s mission is to promote and protect the right of our members to own, operate and grow their businesses. More information is available online at www.NFIB.com/newsroom.