State Labor Market Policies and Health

Policy Points Starting in the 2000s, state governments began adopting labor market policies, including minimum wage laws, earned income tax credits, paid family and medical leave programs, paid sick leave mandates, and scheduling laws. Evidence suggests that labor market policies can improve earnings and job quality, and some are associated with improved worker health. States interested in evidence-based policies for improving worker health should consider generous, refundable earned income tax credits; higher minimum wages tied to inflation; greater local government discretion to adopt labor market policies; and paid leave programs or mandates.

State governments have begun to adopt labor market policies, including minimum wage laws, earned income tax credits, paid family and medical leave programs, paid sick leave mandates, and scheduling laws. The presence (or absence) of these laws can affect the health and well-being of workers.

A review of the existing literature.

Emerging evidence indicates that state government actions to increase earnings for those in low-wage jobs and to improve their job quality can lead to better health.

Encouraging findings in the literature strongly suggest that policymakers should continue to advance state-level labor market policies to improve the health outcomes of workers, as well as support efforts by researchers to assess their impact on health.