Employer Costs for Employee Compensation — 1997-10-21

In March 1997, employer costs for employee compensation for civilian workers (private industry and state and local government) in the United States averaged $19.22 per hour worked, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Straight-time wages and salaries, which averaged $13.85, accounted for 72 percent of these costs, while benefits, which averaged $5.37, accounted for the remaining 28 percent. (See table 1.) Among the benefit categories, employer costs per hour worked were highest for legally required benefits, which averaged $1.62, or 8.4 percent of total compensation. Paid leave benefits averaged $1.27 (6.6 percent), insurance benefits averaged $1.23 (6.4 percent), and retirement and savings benefits averaged 75 cents per hour worked (3.9 percent). In March 1997, private industry employer compensation costs averaged $17.97 per hour worked. Wages and salaries averaged $13.04 per hour worked (72.5 percent), while benefits averaged $4.94 (27.5 percent).