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Some employers offer end-of-year or holiday bonuses this time of year. Eleven percent of private industry workers had access to end-of-year bonuses in 2019, and 6 percent had access to holiday bonuses. Among natural resources, construction, and maintenance workers, 15 percent had access to end-of-year bonuses, while 12 percent had access to holiday bonuses. Seven percent of workers in service occupations had access to end-of-year bonuses and 6 percent to holiday bonuses.
Occupation | End-of-year bonus | Holiday bonus |
---|---|---|
All workers |
11% | 6% |
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance |
15 | 12 |
Management, professional, and related |
15 | 5 |
Sales and office |
11 | 7 |
Production, transportation, and material moving |
9 | 6 |
Service |
7 | 6 |
In March 2019, the average employer cost for nonproduction bonuses was $0.73 per hour worked in private industry.
These data are from the National Compensation Survey — Benefits and Employment Cost Trends programs. For more information, see Employee Benefits in the United States, March 2019 and "Employer Costs for Employee Compensation — March 2019." End-of-year and holiday bonuses are nonproduction bonuses, payments to employees that are not directly related to individual productivity. End-of-year bonuses are payments to employees near the end of the year to show appreciation for working hard throughout the year. Holiday bonuses are payments to employees made on a holiday to show appreciation; the payment usually is a token gesture, with all employees receiving the same amount. A full list of nonproduction bonuses is in the National Compensation Survey Glossary of Employee Benefit Terms.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Access to end-of-year and holiday bonuses for private industry workers in 2019 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2019/access-to-end-of-year-and-holiday-bonuses-for-private-industry-workers-in-2019.htm (visited November 11, 2024).