For both men and women without a Bachelor’s degree (BA), a new study in JAMA Health Forum found that mortality between 2011-2023 was markedly higher than would have been expected had death rates from 2006-2010 continued. Among 564,855 excess deaths in 2023 alone, 481,211 occurred among people without a BA—a 26 percent increase in mortality among this population, compared to pre-2010 trends. In contrast, mortality only increased by eight percent among people who received a BA. 

For the study, published in Safety and Health at Work, researchers explored how earned sick leave laws impact rates of reportable nonfatal illness or injury across major industry categories. They obtained annual state rates of occupational nonfatal illness or injury reports and earned sick leave policy data. They found that states that implemented earned sick leave prior to 2019 saw a marginally significant increase in the rates of illness and injury reporting across industries after these policies were introduced.