2012 Employee Benefits in the United States — 2012-07-11

Access to employer-provided benefits was greater in medium and large private industry establishments than in small establishments in March 2012, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Access, or availability of a benefit, was 57 percent for medical care benefits in small establishments (those with fewer than 100 employees), compared with 89 percent in large establishments (those with 500 employees or more). In private industry, retirement benefits were available to 50 percent of workers in small establishments, 79 percent of workers in medium size establishments (those employing between 100 and 499 workers), and 86 percent of workers in large establishments. (See chart 1.) Paid leave benefits followed a similar pattern. The difference was more pronounced in the availability of paid sick leave, which was offered to 52 percent of workers in small establishments and 82 percent in large establishments.