Standard Errors
Defined benefit frozen retirement plans: Plan alternatives

Table 7. Standard errors for frozen defined benefit retirement plans:1 Plan alternatives, civilian
workers,2 National Compensation Survey, March 2011

Characteristics

No
alternative to
frozen plans

Alternatives
to frozen
plans
available

Alternatives for employees in frozen plans

New defined
benefit plan

Enhanced
existing
defined
contribution
plan

New defined
contribution
plan

Other

All workers

0.9

0.9

1.9

1.9

2.2

0.3

Worker characteristics

            

Management, professional, and related

0.9

0.9

2.5

2.7

3.0

0.5

    Management, business, and financial

1.2

1.2

2.6

3.7

3.9

–

    Professional and related

1.2

1.2

2.8

2.7

3.1

0.4

        Teachers:
           Primary, secondary, and special education
            school teachers

–

0.0

0.3

–

2.8

–

Service

1.1

1.1

4.6

5.0

4.3

–

    Protective service

1.8

1.8

5.3

1.9

5.0

–

Sales and office

2.0

2.0

2.3

2.5

2.8

[3]

    Office and administrative support

2.1

2.1

2.7

2.3

2.9

[3]

Production, transportation, and material moving

2.2

2.2

2.7

3.3

4.6

–

    Production

2.5

2.5

3.3

5.0

5.7

–

    Transportation and material moving

3.3

3.3

4.5

–

6.2

–

Full time

0.8

0.8

1.9

1.9

2.3

0.3

Part time

4.2

4.2

3.5

4.0

4.1

–

Union

1.0

1.0

3.0

1.1

3.4

–

Nonunion

1.1

1.1

1.7

2.5

2.6

0.4

Average wage within the following categories:4

            

    Lowest 25 percent

4.4

4.4

4.0

6.2

6.2

–

    Second 25 percent

1.9

1.9

3.2

2.6

3.6

[3]

    Third 25 percent

1.4

1.4

2.5

2.3

2.7

–

    Highest 25 percent

0.8

0.8

2.4

2.9

2.6

–

        Highest 10 percent

0.9

0.9

3.0

4.0

3.3

–

Establishment characteristics

            

Goods-producing industries

1.4

1.4

2.7

3.4

4.1

–

Service-providing industries

1.1

1.1

2.2

2.1

2.4

0.3

    Education and health services

1.2

1.2

3.8

1.6

3.7

–

        Educational services

0.6

0.6

1.4

0.8

2.8

–

            Elementary and secondary schools

–

0.0

0.9

–

3.0

–

        Health care and social assistance

2.2

2.2

3.3

3.7

5.1

–

            Hospitals

2.8

2.8

2.7

4.0

4.2

–

    Public administration

–

0.0

3.1

2.2

–

–

1 to 99 workers

1.2

1.2

4.3

4.7

4.0

–

    1 to 49 workers

1.6

1.6

5.5

5.3

4.4

–

100 workers or more

1.0

1.0

1.9

1.9

2.2

–

    100 to 499 workers

2.3

2.3

3.0

2.8

3.5

–

    500 workers or more

1.0

1.0

2.4

2.3

2.6

[3]

Geographic areas

            

New England

2.7

2.7

5.9

6.5

4.2

–

Middle Atlantic

2.2

2.2

1.9

2.3

3.5

–

East North Central

1.9

1.9

3.8

3.1

4.3

[3]

South Atlantic

2.4

2.4

2.7

4.1

3.9

–

Pacific

1.1

1.1

7.2

4.4

7.5

–

1Plans closed to new workers or plans that cease accruals for some or all plan participants.

2Includes workers in the private nonfarm economy except those in private households, and workers in the public sector, except the federal
government. See Technical Note for further explanation.

3Less than 0.05.

4The categories are based on the average wage for each occupation surveyed, which may include workers with earnings both above and below the
threshold. The average wages are based on the estimates published in the "National Compensation Survey: Occupational Earnings in the United States,
2010." See Technical Note for more details.


NOTE: Dash indicates no workers in this category or data did not meet publication criteria. For definitions of major plans, key provisions, and related terms,
see the "Glossary of Employee Benefit Terms" at www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/glossary20102011.htm.