Employee Benefits in Private Industry news release
Technical Contact: USDL: 07-1282
(202) 691-6199 NCSinfo@bls.gov
Media Contact: FOR RELEASE: 10:00 A.M. (EDT)
(202) 691-5902 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2007
Internet address:
http://www.bls.gov/ebs
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS IN PRIVATE INDUSTRY, 2007
Sixty percent of establishments in private industry offered medical care benefits
to their employees in March 2007, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department
of Labor reported today. Employers paid 81 percent of the cost of premiums for single
coverage and 71 percent of the cost for family coverage for workers participating in
employer sponsored medical plans. These findings are from the Summary, "National
Compensation Survey: Employee Benefits in the United States, March 2007," published
today. These results can be found on the BLS Web site
http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/sp/ebsm0006.pdf.
These data are from the National Compensation Survey (NCS), which provides
comprehensive measures of occupational earnings, compensation cost trends, and details
of benefit provisions. In addition to health and retirement plans, the survey also
covered paid leave, disability insurance, and other selected benefits. This release
is the first release of data on employee benefits under the new North American Industry
Classification System (NAICS) and Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system.
Benefit estimates for additional occupational groups are now available, replacing the
white-collar and blue-collar groupings. For more information on the transition, see the
BLS website http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/ebsm0005.htm. The following are some of the
major findings:
* Most employees covered by medical care plans were in plans requiring employee
contributions for both single and family coverage. Employee contributions for
medical care premiums averaged $81.37 per month for single coverage, and $312.78
per month for family coverage.
* Seventy-one percent of workers had access to medical care benefits, and 52 percent
participated in a medical care plan. Access and participation to health care, and
to other benefits, varied by employee and employer characteristics.
* Sixty-one percent of workers had access to retirement benefits, with 51 percent
participating in at least one type of retirement plan. Twenty percent of employees
participated in defined benefit retirement plans, and 43 percent in defined
contribution plans. (Some employees participate in both types.)
The release and Summary Report are available by e-mail request at NCSinfo@bls.gov,
by telephone (202) 691-6199, or on the BLS Internet site, http://www.bls.gov/ncs/home.htm.
Regional Information offices, listed on the Internet site,
http://www.bls.gov/bls/regncon.htm, also are available to answer any of your questions.
Last Modified Date: August 22, 2007
Bureau of Labor Statistics
