Benefits Offered by U.S. and Oregon Employers

This week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released new information about employee benefits offered by employers in the U.S. The BLS reported that employer-provided medical care was available to 85 percent of full-time, private-industry workers in March 2013. By comparison, 24 percent of part-time workers had medical care benefits available to them.

Access to employer-provided medical care benefits also varied by firm size. Slightly more than one-half (57%) of all workers in small firms -- those with fewer than 100 employees -- had access to medical benefits. Meanwhile, employers offered medical benefits to 85 percent of all workers at mid-sized and large establishments.

Retirement benefits followed a similar pattern. Nearly three-fourths (74%) of full-time, private-industry workers could access retirement plans from their employers. At the same time, slightly more than one-third (37%) of all part-time workers could access retirement benefits through their employers. Employers also offered paid and sick leave benefits to full-time workers at greater rates than to part-timers. 

Here are additional highlights:

• Paid holidays were available to 97 percent of management, business, and financial employees in private firms, compared with 53 percent of service employees.

• For private industry employees in the lowest 10 percent of average earnings, employers paid 71 percent of the single coverage medical plan premium. For employees in the highest 10 percent of earnings, employers paid 81 percent of the premium.

Last summer, the Oregon Employment Department surveyed private employers statewide about the benefits they offered to employees. Oregon followed similar trends to employers nationwide: employers were far more likely to offer health and retirement benefits to full-time employees than to part-timers; also, the largest employers (those with 50+ employees) offered benefits more frequently than small firms.

More details about U.S. employee benefits are available in the full BLS news release. Additional Oregon-specific information about employer-provided medical, retirement, and other benefits can be found in an Employment Department report released earlier this year.