Paternity leave: an unexpected COVID casualty

Experts warn fewer fathers will take paternity leave due to the employment and economic shocks caused by the coronavirus pandemic

New fathers are thought to have been put off taking paternity leave during the coronavirus pandemic, fearful of losing their jobs.

With the UK’s unemployment rate set to rise above 7 per cent in 2021, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, experts believe fathers and non-birth parents could be less willing to take time off after a birth or adoption for some time to come.

“In terms of take-up of parental leave over the furlough period, I would expect there to be a significant decline in the numbers of people taking it,” says Jon Taylor, employment law specialist at EMW.