New York State had new employment laws go into effect on January 1, 2025. One of the new laws is Paid Prenatal Personal Leave (PPPL) for pregnant employees. The new law requires employers to provide at least 20 hours of paid time off in addition to the normal sick leave to female employees who are pregnant. All private-sector employers, regardless of size, are a part of the PPPL mandate. The additional time off can be used to attend physical exams, medical procedures, and monitoring and testing. The PPPL hours are automatically available for pregnant employees and the hours do not need to be accrued. The PPPL hours must also be paid at the employee’s regular rate of pay.
The Paid Family Leave (PFL) program for employees in New York State also has some changes for 2025. The PFL program allows employees to take 12 weeks of paid time off to bond with their new child. In 2025, those who take PFL will receive 67% of the New York State Average Weekly Wage which will increase to $1,757.19 in 2025. This means employees using Paid Family Leave will receive a maximum benefit of $1,177.32 each week.
Another employment change in 2025 is an increase to the minimum wage throughout New York State. In New York City, Long Island, and Westchester the minimum wage is now $16.50 an hour. For the rest of the state it is $15.50 an hour, both of which are a 50-cent increase from 2024.
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