On September 25, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its annual report on private sector workers’ access to employer-provided benefits. As in past years, access to employer paid time off remains highly unequal, with higher paid workers and those in professional and managerial occupations having the greatest access to paid sick days and paid family and medical leave. Employers in industries in which women are the predominant workforce are least likely to provide paid time off to workers.

The most progress has been made in access to paid sick days. In the private sector, 81 percent of private sector workers are able to take paid time off from work to recover from the flu or other illnesses – due in no small measure to victories in states that passed paid sick days laws. Workers in 18 states and the District of Columbia are now guaranteed access to this benefit.

Yet serious discrepancies remain, especially between full-time and part-time workers, with 88 percent of private sector full-time workers with access to paid sick days compared to just 59 percent of part-time workers. A similar discrepancy exists between industries, where 58 percent of workers employed in leisure and hospitality have access to paid sick days compared with 98 percent employed in finance and industry. Everyone gets sick sometime – it’s time for Congress to pass the Healthy Families Act so all workers can take the time they need to recover when illness strikes.

Paid family and medical leave to deal with a worker’s own serious health problems – or those of the people whose care they are responsible for, or for welcoming a new child into the family – makes a huge difference to their ability to do their jobs and take care of their families. Less than half (49 percent) of private sector workers have access to this benefit through their employer.

As with state sick days laws, 23 years of organizing have won victories in 14 states and the District of Columbia that guarantee paid family and medical leave for workers. But progress has been slow and uneven. Congress needs to pass the FAMILY Act so that new mothers can take time off after delivering their babies and everyone can access time to care when they need it.

All workers need access to paid leave. It shouldn’t depend on which state you live in, what industry you work in, or whether you are employed full- or part-time. It’s past time for Congress to act.

This first appeared on CEPR.