Employer Costs For Employee Compensation - March 2001 — 2001-06-29

In March 2001, employer costs for employee compensation for civilian workers in private industry and State and local government in the United States averaged $22.15 per hour worked, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Wages and salaries, which averaged $16.07, accounted for approximately 73 percent of these costs, while benefits, which averaged $6.08, accounted for the remaining 27 percent. (See table 1.) Legally required benefits averaged $1.73 per hour (7.8 percent of total compensation), representing the largest non-wage employer cost. Employer costs for paid leave benefits averaged $1.51 (6.8 percent), insurance benefits averaged $1.46 (6.6 percent), and retirement and savings benefits averaged 78 cents (3.5 percent) per hour worked. In March 2001, private industry employer compensation costs averaged $20.81 per hour worked. Wages and salaries averaged $15.18 per hour (72.9 percent), while benefits averaged $5.63 (27.1 percent).