According to a study conducted by the Families and Work Institute, the average amount of parental leave offered by U.S. employers has not changed significantly since 2012. 

It was reported in December 2016 that high profile companies such as Amazon, Microsoft and Ernst & Young had announced that they intended to increase parental leave and in December 2016, American Express did increase its paid parental leave to 20 weeks.

However, the National Study of Employers found that 14.5 weeks is the average maximum amount of maternity leave that U.S. companies offered in 2016.  This is a rise from 14.2 weeks.  Paternity leave offered is a little over 11 weeks - a rise from 10.6 weeks.  The report noted, “...that while there has been much talk in the press of the laudable changes instituted by these large organizations, they do not represent a sea change in the length of parental leave options offered by the majority of organizations.”

The percentage of organizations offering some replacement pay for women on maternity leave increased from 46% to 58% during 2005 to 2016, but most of that change occurred between 2005 and 2012.  Among employers offering replacement pay, the percentage offering full pay continued to drop from 17% in 2005 to 10% in 2016.  Only 6% of employers surveyed - who had 50 or more employees - offered full pay during maternity leave.

The study was based on a national survey which was carried out on-line and by telephone between 2015 and 2016.  It was conducted with 920 HR directors at for-profit and non-profit organizations employing 50 or more staff.

Ellen Galinsky, co-founder and president of the Families and Work Institute, notes that there is a greater expectation of flexibility in the workforce among younger employees, who have grown up in the ‘work anytime, anywhere’ world and would take less pay for that flexibility.  A survey by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that the average employee would give up 20% of their wages in return for flexible scheduling or working from home.

The Families and Work Institute also found that between 2012 and 2016, 81% of employers allowed at least some employees to return to work gradually after childbirth or adoption – up from 73% in 2012