Ireland ranks bottom in provision of parental leave

IRISH workers are less likely than those in other developed countries to take up parental leave because of the comparatively poor benefits on offer.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) ranked Ireland bottom among 18 mostly European countries in terms of effective parental leave provision.

The rankings are based on a calculation of maternity and parental leave weighted against the level of replacement wage or benefit offered by the State.