According to hiring website Indeed, the number of job postings mentioning enhanced parental leave was up 102% compared to last year. Those mentioning shared parental leave were also up 102% on last year but were up a staggering 279% compared to 2019.

Under the UK Government’s Shared Parental Leave and Pay plan, couples can share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay between them. Enhanced parental leave is defined as what is offered above the statutory minimum.

However, as good as these increased figures sound, research shows that actually only 1.84% of jobs advertised in May 2022 offered enhanced parental leave, up by 0.9% on the previous year. These figures are based on adverts that market jobs with “generous, extended, competitive, enhanced, or market-leading” maternity, paternity, or parental leave. 

This is particularly concerning since a report from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that 75.6% of mothers with dependent children were in work from April to June of 2021 - which is the highest it has been in 20 years.

Indeed’s study showed that the company Boots were offering the most roles with enhanced parental leave benefits and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) was the highest ranked public sector employer in terms its parental leave policy, as it offers 100% of salary during the first 26 weeks of Ordinary Maternity Leave.

Jemima Olchawski - CEO at the gender equality and women’s rights charity Fawcett Society - stated that it was:

“encouraging to see many large employers offering enhanced parental leave schemes to support women but also to shift expectations and encourage men to take up parental leave. This will not only have a positive impact on gender equality and pay equity at work, but also supporting equality at home and in childcare too.”

Glenda Kirby - Vice President of Client Success EMEA at Indeed - agreed, saying that paid leave programmes could not only lead to an increase in productivity and loyalty but could “shift household tasks away from women”.