A look at paid time off for military commitments in 2017

As we approach Veterans Day, we look at workers’ access to paid military leave. Twenty-nine percent of private industry workers had access to paid time off for military commitments in 2017. That compares with 33 percent in 2012 and 49 percent in 2007.

The share of workers offered this benefit varies across industries. Access to paid military leave ranged from 6 percent in the accommodation and food services industry to 66 percent in finance and insurance.

Access to paid military leave varied based on the size and region of the establishments and the union status of workers. For example, 41 percent of workers in establishments with 100 or more workers had access to paid military leave, compared with 18 percent of workers in establishments with fewer than 100 workers.

Thirty-three percent of private industry workers in the Northeast and 31 percent of workers in the South had access to paid military leave. In the Midwest 26 percent had access, and in the West 24 percent had access.

Forty percent of union workers and 28 percent of nonunion workers had access to paid military leave.

These data are from the National Compensation Survey — Benefits program. For more information, see our most recent annual bulletin on benefits.