1996 Employee Benefits in Private Industry — 1998-06-15

Time-off for recreation and other purposes was the most frequently available employee benefit for full-time employees in small private industry establishments in 1996, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U. S. Department of Labor. Medical benefits, retirement plans, and life insurance were often available, but less prevalent. Other benefits, such as employee assistance and wellness programs, common in other sectors of the economy, were comparatively rare in small establishments. Generally, the incidence of employee benefit plans in small establishments had not changed noticeably since the 1994 survey. These and other findings are available from the fourth Employee Benefits Survey of small establishments in private industry. The 1996 survey covered 39.8 million full-time and 14.1 million part-time employees in private establishments with fewer than 100 workers. These workers represented just over one- half of all employees in the private nonagricultural sector.