The recent headlines about expanded parental leave provided by tech giants such as Netflix has sparked discussions about competition for highly-skilled workers. But observers of workforce policies say there is a general trend toward offering more paid time away from work after the birth of a child, as employers realize they have more to gain than lose.

In recent months, Netflix, Microsoft, and Adobe have expanded their parental leave policies.  Twitter offers new moms 20 weeks off, with pay. Google, Facebook, and Reddit also have generous paid-time-off policies for new parents.

And tech companies aren't the only large employers to embrace this trend; financial firms such as Goldman Sachs have extended paid leave policies, and manufacturer Johnson & Johnson's recently-expanded parental leave policy includes up to 17 weeks paid leave for moms and nine weeks for dads. In addition, a number of state and local governments have started offering some type of paid parental leave for employees.