Employer Costs For Employee Compensation - March 2000 — 2000-06-29

In March 2000, employer costs for employee compensation for civilian workers (private industry and State and local government) in the United States averaged $21.16 per hour worked, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Wages and salaries, which averaged $15.36, accounted for approximately 73 percent of these costs, while benefits, which averaged $5.80, accounted for the remaining 27 percent. (See table 1.) Legally required benefits averaged $1.67 per hour (7.9 percent of total compensation), representing the largest non-wage employer cost. Employer costs for paid leave benefits averaged $1.42 (6.7 percent), insurance benefits averaged $1.36 (6.4 percent), and retirement and savings benefits averaged 77 cents (3.6 percent) per hour worked. In March 2000, private industry employer compensation costs averaged $19.85 per hour worked. Wages and salaries averaged $14.49 per hour (73 percent), while benefits averaged $5.36 (27 percent).