Employee Benefits in the United States Summary

For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Thursday, September 21, 2023                                             USDL-23-2024

Technical information:  (202) 691-6199  *  ncsinfo@bls.gov  *  www.bls.gov/ebs
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                        EMPLOYEE BENEFITS IN THE UNITED STATES – MARCH 2023
                        
                        
Retirement benefits were available to 94 percent of private industry union workers and 68 percent of private 
industry nonunion workers in March 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sixty-six percent 
of private industry union workers had access to defined benefit plans and 63 percent had access to defined 
contribution plans. Ten percent of private industry nonunion workers had access to defined benefit plans and 
68 percent had access to defined contribution plans. (See table 1.)

Among private industry workers, paid sick leave was available to 86 percent of union workers and 77 percent of 
nonunion workers while paid family leave was available to 23 percent of union workers and 27 percent of nonunion 
workers. Ninety-two percent of union workers had access to paid holidays and 56 percent had access to paid 
personal leave, while 79 percent of nonunion workers had access to paid holidays and 45 percent had access to 
paid personal leave. (See table 6.)

Ninety-six percent of private industry union workers and 69 percent of private industry nonunion workers had 
access to medical care benefits. Among private industry union workers, employer share of premiums was 80 percent
for single coverage and 79 percent for family coverage. Among private industry nonunion workers, employer share
of premiums was 78 percent for single coverage and 65 percent for family coverage. (See tables 2, 3, and 4.)

Eighty-six percent of private industry union workers had access to life insurance plans, 73 percent had access 
to short-term disability plans, and 44 percent had access to long-term disability plans. Fifty-five percent of 
private industry nonunion workers had access to life insurance plans, 41 percent had access to short-term 
disability plans, and 35 percent had access to long-term disability plans. (See table 5.)

Among quality of life benefits in the private industry, 4 percent of union workers had access to a flexible work
schedule, 1 percent had access to a flexible workplace, and 75 percent had access to employee assistance 
programs. Seventeen percent of nonunion workers had access to a flexible work schedule, 10 percent had access to
a flexible workplace, and 52 percent had access to employee assistance programs. 

Highlights of employer-sponsored benefits

Occupational group
  * Access to nonproduction bonuses ranged from 30 percent for service occupations to 54 percent for 
    management, professional, and related occupations among private industry workers.
  * Six percent of state and local government teachers had access to subsidized commuting and 12 percent had 
    access to childcare assistance.

Work status
  * Eighty-seven percent of full-time private industry workers had access to medical care benefits and 25 
    percent of part-time workers had access to medical care benefits. The take-up rate was 65 percent for 
    full-time workers and 54 percent for part-time workers.
  * Twelve percent of full-time private industry workers had access to a flexible workplace and 17 percent had 
    access to a flexible work schedule, while 2 percent of part-time workers had access to a 
    flexible workplace and 13 percent had access to a flexible work schedule.

Average wage category
  * Access to student loan repayment assistance ranged from 2 percent for the lowest 10th average wage category
    to 11 percent for the highest 10th average wage category among private industry workers. 
  * Access to healthcare flexible spending accounts for private industry workers ranged from 22 percent for the 
    lowest 25th average wage category to 70 percent for the highest 25th average wage category.

Industry group
  * Access to paid family leave for private industry workers ranged from 8 percent for the leisure and 
    hospitality industry to 55 percent for the information industry.
  * Employers paid 88 percent of premiums for single coverage and 78 percent for family coverage among state and 
    local government workers with medical care plans in public administration. The average flat monthly premium 
    paid by employers was $676.71 for single coverage and $1,547.50 for family coverage.

Establishment size
  * Access to wellness programs in the private industry ranged from 23 percent for establishments with less than
    50 workers to 76 percent for establishments with 500 workers or more.
  * The average number of paid vacation days by service requirement for private industry workers after 1 year 
    ranged from 10 days for establishments with less than 100 workers to 14 days for establishments with 500 or
    more workers. After 20 years, the average number of paid vacation days ranged from 17 days for 
    establishments with less than 100 workers to 24 days for establishments with more than 500 workers.

Census area
  * Life insurance access among state and local government workers by census area ranged from 80 percent in the
    West census area to 85 percent in the South census area. The take-up rate was 100 percent for West census 
    area workers and 97 percent for South census area workers.
  * Access to short-term disability plans was available to 33 percent of civilian workers in the South census 
    area with a participation rate of 32 percent. Sixty-six percent of civilian workers in the Northeast had 
    access with a participation rate of 65 percent.