Family policy –
Family leave to alleviate the labor shortage
One initiative calls for 18 weeks of leave for each parent to address labor shortages and promote intergenerational cohesion.
The initiators believe that mothers represent an important qualified workforce and for them to resume their lucrative activity, they must benefit from equal treatment.
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Eighteen weeks of leave for each parent: this is what the “Family Leave” initiative of a broad alliance is demanding on Thursday to address the labor shortage and promote intergenerational cohesion.
“A country that wants children and a qualified workforce must invest in reconciling work and family,” said Alliance F co-president and MP Kathrin Bertschy (PVL/BE) to the media. And for this, good framework conditions are needed, continued centrist national councilor Dominik Blunschy (SZ).
However, when it comes to parenting, current legislation reinforces traditional models. “We enter maternity ward as a modern couple and we too often leave as a traditional couple,” lamented the president of the Vert-es Lisa Mazzone.
“More than 10% of women leave the job market after their first motherhood. They take on average five years to return, and only at an average occupancy rate of 40%,” she continued. The employment rate of fathers has hardly changed in 30 years.
For childcare and housekeeping to also be a man’s affair, there must be equal treatment, continued the Geneva woman. It is not enough to ask parents to increase their working hours.
18 weeks each
The alliance, bringing together representatives from economic, social and political circles and members of the Center, the Vert-es, the PVL, Alliance F and Travail.Suisse, proposes to replace maternity insurance and paternity leave with 18 weeks of family leave for each parent.
This leave is non-transferable and must be taken successively. Four weeks can be taken at a time. The leave is paid by loss of earnings allowances (APG). So that the lowest incomes do not give up for financial reasons, these salaries must be 100% compensated.
According to the experiences of other countries, this makes it possible to increase the participation of mothers in the labor market and the involvement of fathers in family life, estimates the alliance.
Imbalances
The current demographic situation leads to financial imbalances, she adds. The Swiss population is aging. And births are not enough to replace retirements.
The birth rate has fallen to a historically low level of 1.3 children per woman, which is not enough to ensure succession in the labor market. This will have significant economic and social consequences, recalled Mr. Blunschy. The labor shortage will continue to worsen. Around 500,000 qualified employees will be lacking by 2030 in Switzerland.
Beneficial for families
In the eyes of the cross-party alliance, parental leave represents a number of benefits: for society, for SMEs, for parents and for federal and cantonal finances.
Such leave is a step towards gender equality and better balance between family and professional life. It allows for a more equitable distribution of family tasks. And the return to working life is made easier for mothers when the partner takes care of the child, argued Adrian Wüthrich, president of Travail.Suisse. They suffer less from stress and burnout.
Fathers can also become more involved in family life and provide important support to mothers. Their presence during the first months is important for the child’s development.
And for SMEs
SMEs and rural areas also benefit from the introduction of a national holiday. Large companies in urban centers can currently offer more attractive and family-friendly working conditions, notably through longer maternity and paternity leave. But SMEs cannot compete and are left behind, Mr. Blunschy stressed.
Jointly funded leave creates equal opportunities for SMEs. It provides them with planning security and allows mothers to return to work more quickly at higher occupancy rates.
Cost and benefit
According to a study commissioned by the alliance from Ecoplan, family leave would cost one billion per year. But “this investment is worth it,” assured Kathrin Bertschy.
Each year, 2,500 additional full-time positions will be created. It is mothers who return to work more quickly. Some of them will be able to increase their working hours after giving birth and pursue a career.
They will contribute more to social insurance and pay more taxes. Thus, investments are refinanced after 20 years.
The launch of the initiative and the collection of signatures will take place next spring. The alliance is supported by six parties.
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