Technical Contact: USDL: 98-285 (202) 606-6199 ocltinfo@bls.gov Media Contact: FOR RELEASE: 10:00 A.M. EDT (202) 606-5902 Hoyle_K@bls.gov Thursday, July 9, 1998 Internet address: http://stats.bls.gov/ecthome.htm EMPLOYER COSTS FOR EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION - MARCH 1998 In March 1998, employer costs for employee compensation for civilian workers (private industry and state and local government) in the United States averaged $19.76 per hour worked, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Wages and salaries, which averaged $14.30, accounted for approximately 72 percent of these costs, while benefits, which averaged $5.47, accounted for the remaining 28 percent. (See table 1.) Legally required benefits averaged $1.63 per hour (8.2 percent of total compensation), representing the largest non-wage employer cost. Employer costs for paid leave benefits averaged $1.30 (6.6 percent), insurance benefits averaged $1.25 (6.3 percent), and retirement and savings benefits averaged 75 cents (3.8 percent) per hour worked. Private Industry In March 1998, private industry employer compensation costs averaged $18.50 per hour worked. Wages and salaries averaged $13.47 per hour (73 percent), while benefits averaged $5.02 (27 percent). (See table 5.) Compensation costs varied by industry, occupational group, region, establishment size, and worker characteristics (bargaining status and full- /part-time status). Average employer compensation costs were $22.26 in goods-producing and $17.31 in service-producing industries. Among industry groups, average compensation costs ranged from $10.33 in retail trade to $24.18 in finance, insurance, and real estate. (See table 10.) Average compensation costs were $22.38 for white-collar occupations, $17.56 for blue-collar occupations, and $9.37 for service occupations. Benefits, however, accounted for a greater proportion of compensation costs for blue-collar occupations (30.8 percent) than for white-collar (26.1 percent) and service occupations (22.6 percent). (See table 6.) In March 1998, average employer compensation costs were $23.59 for union workers and $17.80 for nonunion workers. Benefits represented a greater proportion of compensation costs for union workers (34.8 percent) than for nonunion workers (25.7 percent). These compensation cost differences reflect variation in the distribution of union and nonunion workers among occupations, industries, and establishment size. (See table 13.) Among the four regions, compensation costs ranged from $16.45 per hour in the South to $20.38 per hour in the Northeast. The proportion of compensation represented by benefits ranged from 26.0 percent in the West to 28.4 percent in the Midwest. (See table 7.) Compensation costs increased with establishment size. These costs ranged from an average of $15.92 per hour in establishments with less than 100 workers to $25.56 per hour in establishments with 500 or more workers. The proportion of compensation costs represented by benefits also increased with establishment size, from 24.6 percent in establishments with less than 100 workers to 30.4 percent in establishments with 500 or more workers. (See table 8.) Compensation costs for full-time workers averaged $20.95 per hour compared with $10.01 for part-time workers. Benefit costs represented a greater proportion of compensation costs for full-time workers than for part-time workers (28.3 percent compared with 19.0 percent). (See table 9.) Workers are classified as full time or part time according to the practices of surveyed establishments. Part-time employees are typically scheduled to work fewer hours than full-time employees in the same work activity. Health benefit costs in private industry In March 1998, private industry health benefit costs averaged $1.00 per hour or 5.4 percent of total compensation. Employer health benefit costs varied by industry, occupation, bargaining status, region, and establishment size. In goods-producing industries, health benefit costs were $1.48 per hour (6.6 percent of total compensation) compared with 85 cents per hour (4.9 percent of total compensation) for service-producing industries. (See table 5.) Employer costs for health benefits ranged from $1.17 per hour and 6.7 percent of total compensation for blue-collar occupations to 40 cents per hour and 4.3 percent of total compensation for service occupations. In white-collar occupations, employer costs for health benefits averaged $1.11 (5.0 percent). (See table 6.) Employer costs for health benefits were higher for union workers, averaging $1.97 (8.4 percent), than for nonunion workers, averaging 86 cents per hour (4.8 percent). (See table 7.) Among the four regions, costs for health benefits ranged from 87 cents in the South to $1.15 in the Northeast. (See table 7.) Health benefit costs increased, both in average dollar amount and as a proportion of total compensation, with establishment size. Establishments with fewer than 100 workers averaged 73 cents (4.6 percent), those with 100-499 employees averaged $1.01 (5.8 percent), and those with 500 or more employees averaged $1.59 (6.2 percent). (See table 8.) Retirement and savings benefit costs in private industry In March 1998, the average cost for retirement and savings benefits was 55 cents per hour in private industry (3.0 percent of total compensation). Included in this amount were employer costs for defined benefit plans, which averaged 24 cents (1.3 percent), and for defined contribution plans, which averaged 30 cents (1.6 percent). Defined benefit plans specify a formula for determining future benefits, while defined contribution plans specify employer and employee contributions, but do not guarantee future benefits. Employer retirement and savings costs varied by industry, occupation, bargaining status, region, and establishment size. Retirement and savings costs were higher in goods-producing (82 cents per hour and 3.7 percent of total compensation) than in service-producing (46 cents per hour and 2.7 percent of total compensation) industries. Defined benefit plan costs represented a greater proportion of employer costs (relative to defined contribution plans) in goods-producing than in service-producing industries. (See table 5.) The average cost per hour worked for retirement and savings was 66 cents per hour for white-collar occupations, 62 cents for blue-collar occupations, and 13 cents for service occupations. The proportion of total compensation represented by retirement and savings benefits was 3.5 percent among blue-collar occupations, 2.9 percent for white-collar occupations, and 1.4 percent for service occupations. (See table 6.) Retirement and savings costs were higher, both in average dollar amount and as a proportion of total compensation, for union workers ($1.29 and 5.5 percent of total compensation) than for nonunion workers (45 cents and 2.5 percent of total compensation). Defined benefit plan costs represented a greater proportion of employer costs (relative to defined contribution plans) for union workers than for nonunion workers. (See table 7.) Retirement and savings costs ranged from 48 cents per hour in the South to 60 cents in the Northeast and Midwest. The proportion of total compensation represented by retirement and savings varied slightly among regions. (See table 7.) Retirement and savings costs increased, both in average dollar amount and as a proportion of total compensation, with establishment size. Establishments with fewer than 100 employees averaged 35 cents (2.2 percent), establishments with 100-499 employees averaged 51 cents (2.9 percent), and establishments with 500 or more employees averaged $1.04 (4.1 percent). (See table 8.) State and local government In March 1998, employer costs in state and local governments averaged $27.28 per hour worked. Wages and salaries, which accounted for 70 percent of the total, averaged $19.19, while benefits, which accounted for the remaining 30 percent, averaged $8.10. (See table 3.) Average compensation costs were higher for white-collar occupations ($30.34) than for blue-collar ($22.08) and service occupations ($20.10). (See table 4.) Benefits accounted for about the same proportion of total compensation in blue-collar occupations (34.9 percent) and service occupations (35.5 percent); for white-collar occupations, benefits represented 27.9 percent of total compensation. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notes BLS is evaluating published Employment Cost Index (ECI) and Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (ECEC) series to ensure that they meet statistical standards for reliability. Preliminary research has targeted 37 ECI series for elimination from the news release, some of which are also ECEC series. These series are marked with a footnote in the accompanying tables. Series that fail reliability standards will be removed from the news release beginning with the September 1998 release for ECI and the March 1999 release for ECEC and will be available only upon request. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents: Table 1. Civilian workers, by major occupational group 6 Table 2. Civilian workers, by occupational and industry group 7 Table 3. State and local government, by selected characteristics 8 Table 4. State and local government, by occupational and industry group 9 Table 5. Private industry, by major industry group 10 Table 6. Private industry, by major occupational group 11 Table 7. Private industry, by region and bargaining status 12 Table 8. Private industry, by establishment employment size 13 Table 9. Private industry, by major occupational and industry group, and full-time and part-time status 14 Table 10. Private industry, by occupational and industry group 15 Table 11. Private industry, goods-producing and service-producing industries, by occupational group 16 Table 12. Private industry, manufacturing and nonmanufacturing industries, by occupational group 17 Table 13. Private industry, by bargaining status, and major industry and occupational group 18 Table 14. Private industry, by establishment employment size, and major industry and occupational group 19 Table 15. Private industry, health services, by industry and occupational group 20 Table 16. Private industry, transportation equipment manufacturing and public utilities, by industry and occupational group 21 Explanatory notes 22 Appendix table. Employer costs per hour worked for components of compensation, and relative standard errors, by major industry and occupational categories, March 1998 25 Table 1. Employer costs per hour worked for employee compensation and costs as a percent of total compensation: Civilian workers, by major occupational group, March 1998 Civilian workers White-collar Blue-collar Service Compensation component Cost Percent Cost Percent Cost Percent Cost Percent Total compensation........................ $19.76 100.0% $23.84 100.0% $17.85 100.0% $11.03 100.0% Wages and salaries...................... 14.30 72.4 17.52 73.5 12.29 68.9 8.13 73.7 Total benefits.......................... 5.47 27.7 6.32 26.5 5.55 31.1 2.90 26.3 Paid leave............................ 1.30 6.6 1.69 7.1 1.03 5.8 .60 5.4 Vacation............................ .60 3.0 .75 3.1 .52 2.9 .27 2.4 Holiday............................. .44 2.2 .57 2.4 .36 2.0 .20 1.8 Sick................................ .19 1.0 .28 1.2 .10 .6 .10 .9 Other............................... .07 .4 .09 .4 .04 .2 .03 .3 Supplemental pay...................... .51 2.6 .54 2.3 .67 3.8 .19 1.7 Premium(1).......................... .20 1.0 .11 .5 .44 2.5 .10 .9 Shift differential.................. .05 .3 .04 .2 .07 .4 .04 .4 Nonproduction bonuses............... .26 1.3 .39 1.6 .16 .9 .05 .5 Insurance............................. 1.25 6.3 1.43 6.0 1.32 7.4 .64 5.8 Life................................ .05 .3 .06 .3 .05 .3 (2) (2) Health.............................. 1.15 5.8 1.31 5.5 1.22 6.8 .60 5.4 Short-term disability(3)............ .03 .2 .04 .2 .04 .2 .02 .2 Long-term disability................ .02 .1 .03 .1 .02 .1 (2) (2) Retirement and savings................ .75 3.8 .92 3.9 .68 3.8 .37 3.4 Defined benefit..................... .47 2.4 .53 2.2 .46 2.6 .31 2.8 Defined contribution................ .28 1.4 .39 1.6 .22 1.2 .06 .5 Legally required benefits............. 1.63 8.2 1.72 7.2 1.82 10.2 1.08 9.8 Social Security(4).................. 1.15 5.8 1.36 5.7 1.04 5.8 .69 6.3 OASDI............................. .92 4.7 1.08 4.5 .84 4.7 .55 5.0 Medicare.......................... .23 1.2 .28 1.2 .20 1.1 .14 1.3 Federal unemployment insurance...... .03 .2 .03 .1 .03 .2 .03 .3 State unemployment insurance........ .10 .5 .10 .4 .12 .7 .09 .8 Workers' compensation............... .35 1.8 .23 1.0 .63 3.5 .27 2.4 Other benefits(5)..................... .03 .2 .03 .1 .03 .2 (2) (2) 1 Includes premium pay for work in addition to the regular work schedule (such as overtime, weekends, and holidays). 2 Cost per hour worked is $0.01 or less. 3 Short-term disability (previously, sickness and accident insurance) includes all insured, self-insured, and state-mandated plans that provide benefits for each disability, including unfunded plans. 4 The total employer's cost for Social Security is comprised of an OASDI portion and a Medicare portion. OASDI is the abbreviation for Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance. 5 Includes severance pay and supplemental unemployment benefits. Note: The sum of individual items may not equal totals due to rounding. Table 2. Employer costs per hour worked for employee compensation and costs as a percent of total compensation: Civilian workers, by occupational and industry group, March 1998 Benefit costs Total Wages Series compen- and Supple- Retire- Legally Other sation salaries Paid mental ment required bene- Total leave pay Insurance and benefits fits(1) savings Cost per hour worked Civilian workers.......................... $19.76 $14.30 $5.47 $1.30 $0.51 $1.25 $0.75 $1.63 $0.03 Occupational group White-collar occupations................ 23.84 17.52 6.32 1.69 .54 1.43 .92 1.72 .03 Professional specialty and technical.. 31.56 23.34 8.22 2.16 .63 1.80 1.42 2.16 .05 Professional specialty.............. 33.69 25.01 8.68 2.27 .64 1.90 1.57 2.25 .05 Nurses............................ 28.59 20.88 7.71 2.29 .97 1.39 .78 2.27 (2) Teachers.......................... 36.24 27.57 8.67 1.82 .08 2.25 2.37 2.09 .06 Technical........................... 23.96 17.34 6.61 1.79 .60 1.43 .89 1.86 .04 Executive, administrative, and managerial............................ 34.39 24.85 9.54 2.99 .99 1.77 1.38 2.36 .05 Administrative support, including clerical.............................. 16.09 11.47 4.62 1.17 .32 1.34 .56 1.22 .02 Blue-collar occupations................. 17.85 12.29 5.55 1.03 .67 1.32 .68 1.82 .03 Service occupations(3).................. 11.03 8.13 2.90 .60 .19 .64 .37 1.08 (2) Industry group Services................................ 20.81 15.49 5.32 1.36 .37 1.22 .79 1.56 .02 Health services....................... 19.25 14.11 5.14 1.47 .47 1.13 .55 1.52 (2) Hospitals........................... 22.29 15.76 6.53 1.95 .66 1.52 .69 1.68 .02 Educational services.................. 29.40 21.73 7.67 1.83 .10 2.09 1.89 1.72 .04 Elementary and secondary education.. 28.82 21.38 7.45 1.61 .07 2.25 1.83 1.62 .06 Higher education.................... 31.46 23.10 8.36 2.29 .15 1.85 2.10 1.96 (2) Percent of total compensation Civilian workers.......................... 100.0% 72.4% 27.7% 6.6% 2.6% 6.3% 3.8% 8.2% 0.2% Occupational group White-collar occupations................ 100.0 73.5 26.5 7.1 2.3 6.0 3.9 7.2 .1 Professional specialty and technical.. 100.0 74.0 26.0 6.8 2.0 5.7 4.5 6.8 .2 Professional specialty.............. 100.0 74.2 25.8 6.7 1.9 5.6 4.7 6.7 .1 Nurses............................ 100.0 73.0 27.0 8.0 3.4 4.9 2.7 7.9 (2) Teachers.......................... 100.0 76.1 23.9 5.0 .2 6.2 6.5 5.8 .2 Technical........................... 100.0 72.4 27.6 7.5 2.5 6.0 3.7 7.8 .2 Executive, administrative, and managerial............................ 100.0 72.3 27.7 8.7 2.9 5.1 4.0 6.9 .1 Administrative support, including clerical.............................. 100.0 71.3 28.7 7.3 2.0 8.3 3.5 7.6 .1 Blue-collar occupations................. 100.0 68.9 31.1 5.8 3.8 7.4 3.8 10.2 .2 Service occupations(3).................. 100.0 73.7 26.3 5.4 1.7 5.8 3.4 9.8 (2) Industry group Services................................ 100.0 74.4 25.6 6.5 1.8 5.9 3.8 7.5 .1 Health services....................... 100.0 73.3 26.7 7.6 2.4 5.9 2.9 7.9 (2) Hospitals........................... 100.0 70.7 29.3 8.7 3.0 6.8 3.1 7.5 .1 Educational services.................. 100.0 73.9 26.1 6.2 .3 7.1 6.4 5.9 .1 Elementary and secondary education.. 100.0 74.2 25.9 5.6 .2 7.8 6.3 5.6 .2 Higher education.................... 100.0 73.4 26.6 7.3 .5 5.9 6.7 6.2 (2) 1 Includes severance pay and supplemental unemployment benefits. 2 Cost per hour worked is $0.01 or less. 3 This series may be discontinued with the March 1999 news release. Note: The sum of individual items may not equal totals due to rounding. Table 3. Employer costs per hour worked for employee compensation and costs as a percent of total compensation: State and local government, by selected characteristics,(1) March 1998 All workers in State White-collar Service occupations Service industries Compensation and local governments occupations component Cost Percent Cost Percent Cost Percent Cost Percent Total compensation........................ $27.28 100.0% $30.34 100.0% $20.10 100.0% $28.62 100.0% Wages and salaries...................... 19.19 70.3 21.89 72.1 12.97 64.5 20.80 72.7 Total benefits.......................... 8.10 29.7 8.45 27.9 7.13 35.5 7.82 27.3 Paid leave............................ 2.11 7.7 2.19 7.2 1.85 9.2 1.91 6.7 Vacation............................ .72 2.6 .67 2.2 .78 3.9 .52 1.8 Holiday............................. .69 2.5 .73 2.4 .60 3.0 .65 2.3 Sick................................ .53 1.9 .61 2.0 .35 1.7 .57 2.0 Other............................... .16 .6 .18 .6 .12 .6 .17 .6 Supplemental pay...................... .23 .8 .14 .5 .45 2.2 .15 .5 Premium(2).......................... .11 .4 .04 .1 .24 1.2 .05 .2 Shift differential.................. .05 .2 .04 .1 .12 .6 .05 .2 Nonproduction bonuses............... .07 .3 .06 .2 .09 .4 .05 .2 Insurance............................. 2.15 7.9 2.27 7.5 1.79 8.9 2.17 7.6 Life................................ .05 .2 .06 .2 .04 .2 .05 .2 Health.............................. 2.05 7.5 2.17 7.2 1.71 8.5 2.08 7.3 Short-term disability(3)............ .02 .1 .02 .1 .03 .1 .02 .1 Long-term disability................ .03 .1 .03 .1 (4) (4) .03 .1 Retirement and savings................ 1.94 7.1 2.07 6.8 1.73 8.6 1.90 6.6 Defined benefit..................... 1.80 6.6 1.90 6.3 1.67 8.3 1.74 6.1 Defined contribution................ .14 .5 .17 .6 .06 .3 .15 .5 Legally required benefits............. 1.63 6.0 1.74 5.7 1.27 6.3 1.64 5.7 Social Security(5).................. 1.28 4.7 1.46 4.8 .83 4.1 1.38 4.8 OASDI............................. 1.00 3.7 1.13 3.7 .64 3.2 1.08 3.8 Medicare.......................... .28 1.0 .32 1.1 .19 .9 .30 1.0 Federal unemployment insurance...... (4) (4) (4) (4) (4) (4) (4) (4) State unemployment insurance........ .04 .1 .04 .1 .05 .2 .03 .1 Workers' compensation............... .30 1.1 .25 .8 .39 1.9 .22 .8 Other benefits(6)..................... .04 .1 .04 .1 .03 .1 .05 .2 1 This table presents data for the two major occupational groups in State and local governments: White-collar occupations, largely professional occupations, including teachers; and service occupations, including police and firefighters; and one major industry group, services. The service industries, which include health and educational services, employ a large part of the State and local government workforce. 2 Includes premium pay for work in addition to the regular work schedule (such as overtime, weekends, and holidays). 3 Short-term disability (previously, sickness and accident insurance) includes all insured, self-insured, and state-mandated plans that provide benefits for each disability, including unfunded plans. 4 Cost per hour worked is $0.01 or less. 5 The total employer's cost for Social Security is comprised of an OASDI portion and a Medicare portion. OASDI is the abbreviation for Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance. 6 Includes severance pay and supplemental unemployment benefits. Note: The sum of individual items may not equal totals due to rounding. Table 4. Employer costs per hour worked for employee compensation and costs as a percent of total compensation: State and local government, by occupational and industry group, March 1998 Benefit costs Total Wages Series compen- and Supple- Retire- Legally Other sation salaries Paid mental ment required bene- Total leave pay Insurance and benefits fits(1) savings Cost per hour worked State and local government workers........ $27.28 $19.19 $8.10 $2.11 $0.23 $2.15 $1.94 $1.63 $0.04 Occupational group White-collar occupations................ 30.34 21.89 8.45 2.19 .14 2.27 2.07 1.74 .04 Professional specialty and technical.. 35.76 26.54 9.22 2.15 .16 2.41 2.45 2.00 .06 Professional specialty.............. 37.14 27.70 9.44 2.16 .14 2.47 2.54 2.05 .07 Teachers.......................... 39.88 30.13 9.75 2.01 .07 2.62 2.84 2.14 .08 Technical........................... 22.02 14.95 7.06 2.03 .36 1.73 1.50 1.41 .03 Executive, administrative, and managerial............................ 34.50 24.01 10.49 3.47 .17 2.33 2.47 2.03 (2) Administrative support, including clerical.............................. 17.48 11.60 5.88 1.59 .09 1.98 1.10 1.10 .02 Blue-collar occupations................. 22.08 14.38 7.70 2.09 .39 2.06 1.58 1.56 .03 Service occupations(3).................. 20.10 12.97 7.13 1.85 .45 1.79 1.73 1.27 .03 Industry group Services................................ 28.62 20.80 7.82 1.91 .15 2.17 1.90 1.64 .05 Health services....................... 22.20 14.95 7.25 2.26 .57 1.72 1.10 1.57 .03 Hospitals........................... 22.81 15.43 7.38 2.35 .55 1.70 1.14 1.61 .03 Educational services.................. 29.97 22.03 7.93 1.84 .09 2.23 2.06 1.67 .05 Elementary and secondary education.. 29.57 21.88 7.68 1.67 .06 2.34 1.94 1.61 .06 Higher education.................... 31.53 22.86 8.66 2.31 .17 1.94 2.39 1.85 (2) Public administration................... 24.73 16.24 8.49 2.46 .34 2.05 2.10 1.52 .03 Percent of total compensation State and local government workers........ 100.0% 70.3% 29.7% 7.7% 0.8% 7.9% 7.1% 6.0% 0.1% Occupational group White-collar occupations................ 100.0 72.1 27.9 7.2 .5 7.5 6.8 5.7 .1 Professional specialty and technical.. 100.0 74.2 25.8 6.0 .4 6.7 6.9 5.6 .2 Professional specialty.............. 100.0 74.6 25.4 5.8 .4 6.7 6.8 5.5 .2 Teachers.......................... 100.0 75.6 24.4 5.0 .2 6.6 7.1 5.4 .2 Technical........................... 100.0 67.9 32.1 9.2 1.6 7.9 6.8 6.4 .1 Executive, administrative, and managerial............................ 100.0 69.6 30.4 10.1 .5 6.8 7.2 5.9 (2) Administrative support, including clerical.............................. 100.0 66.4 33.6 9.1 .5 11.3 6.3 6.3 .1 Blue-collar occupations................. 100.0 65.1 34.9 9.5 1.8 9.3 7.2 7.1 .1 Service occupations(3).................. 100.0 64.5 35.5 9.2 2.2 8.9 8.6 6.3 .1 Industry group Services................................ 100.0 72.7 27.3 6.7 .5 7.6 6.6 5.7 .2 Health services....................... 100.0 67.3 32.7 10.2 2.6 7.7 5.0 7.1 .1 Hospitals........................... 100.0 67.6 32.4 10.3 2.4 7.5 5.0 7.1 .1 Educational services.................. 100.0 73.5 26.5 6.1 .3 7.4 6.9 5.6 .2 Elementary and secondary education.. 100.0 74.0 26.0 5.6 .2 7.9 6.6 5.4 .2 Higher education.................... 100.0 72.5 27.5 7.3 .5 6.2 7.6 5.9 (2) Public administration................... 100.0 65.7 34.3 9.9 1.4 8.3 8.5 6.1 .1 1 Includes severance pay and supplemental unemployment benefits. 2 Cost per hour worked is $0.01 or less. 3 This series may be discontinued with the March 1999 news release. Note: The sum of individual items may not equal totals due to rounding. Table 5. Employer costs per hour worked for employee compensation and costs as a percent of total compensation: Private industry workers, by major industry group, March 1998 All workers in Goods- Service- Manufacturing Nonmanufacturing Compensation private industry producing(1) producing(2) component Cost Percent Cost Percent Cost Percent Cost Percent Cost Percent Total compensation........................ $18.50 100.0% $22.26 100.0% $17.31 100.0% $22.29 100.0% $17.66 100.0% Wages and salaries...................... 13.47 72.8 15.35 69.0 12.88 74.4 15.22 68.3 13.09 74.1 Total benefits.......................... 5.02 27.1 6.91 31.0 4.42 25.5 7.07 31.7 4.57 25.9 Paid leave............................ 1.16 6.3 1.47 6.6 1.07 6.2 1.68 7.5 1.05 5.9 Vacation............................ .58 3.1 .76 3.4 .52 3.0 .86 3.9 .51 2.9 Holiday............................. .40 2.2 .53 2.4 .36 2.1 .62 2.8 .35 2.0 Sick................................ .14 .8 .11 .5 .14 .8 .13 .6 .14 .8 Other............................... .05 .3 .06 .3 .05 .3 .07 .3 .05 .3 Supplemental pay...................... .56 3.0 .85 3.8 .47 2.7 .91 4.1 .48 2.7 Premium(3).......................... .22 1.2 .47 2.1 .14 .8 .48 2.2 .16 .9 Shift differential.................. .05 .3 .07 .3 .04 .2 .09 .4 .04 .2 Nonproduction bonuses............... .29 1.6 .30 1.3 .29 1.7 .34 1.5 .28 1.6 Insurance............................. 1.10 5.9 1.62 7.3 .94 5.4 1.70 7.6 .97 5.5 Life................................ .04 .2 .06 .3 .04 .2 .06 .3 .04 .2 Health.............................. 1.00 5.4 1.48 6.6 .85 4.9 1.54 6.9 .88 5.0 Short-term disability(4)............ .04 .2 .06 .3 .03 .2 .07 .3 .03 .2 Long-term disability................ .02 .1 .02 .1 .02 .1 .02 .1 .02 .1 Retirement and savings................ .55 3.0 .82 3.7 .46 2.7 .76 3.4 .50 2.8 Defined benefit..................... .24 1.3 .45 2.0 .18 1.0 .40 1.8 .21 1.2 Defined contribution................ .30 1.6 .37 1.7 .28 1.6 .36 1.6 .29 1.6 Legally required benefits............. 1.63 8.8 2.09 9.4 1.48 8.5 1.93 8.7 1.56 8.8 Social Security(5).................. 1.12 6.1 1.30 5.8 1.07 6.2 1.30 5.8 1.08 6.1 OASDI............................. .90 4.9 1.05 4.7 .86 5.0 1.05 4.7 .87 4.9 Medicare.......................... .22 1.2 .25 1.1 .21 1.2 .25 1.1 .21 1.2 Federal unemployment insurance...... .03 .2 .03 .1 .03 .2 .03 .1 .03 .2 State unemployment insurance........ .11 .6 .14 .6 .10 .6 .12 .5 .11 .6 Workers' compensation............... .36 1.9 .63 2.8 .28 1.6 .48 2.2 .33 1.9 Other benefits(6)..................... .03 .2 .07 .3 (7) (7) .08 .4 (7) (7) 1 Includes mining, construction, and manufacturing. 2 Includes transportation, communication, and public utilities; wholesale and retail trade; finance, insurance, and real estate; and service industries. 3 Includes premium pay for work in addition to the regular work schedule (such as overtime, weekends, and holidays). 4 Short-term disability (previously, sickness and accident insurance) includes all insured, self-insured, and state-mandated plans that provide benefits for each disability, including unfunded plans. 5 The total employer's cost for Social Security is comprised of an OASDI portion and a Medicare portion. OASDI is the abbreviation for Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance. 6 Includes severance pay and supplemental unemployment benefits. 7 Cost per hour worked is $0.01 or less. Note: The sum of individual items may not equal totals due to rounding. Table 6. Employer costs per hour worked for employee compensation and costs as a percent of total compensation: Private industry workers, by major occupational group, March 1998 All workers White-collar Blue-collar Service(1) Compensation component Cost Percent Cost Percent Cost Percent Cost Percent Total compensation........................ $18.50 100.0% $22.38 100.0% $17.56 100.0% $9.37 100.0% Wages and salaries...................... 13.47 72.8 16.54 73.9 12.15 69.2 7.25 77.4 Total benefits.......................... 5.02 27.1 5.84 26.1 5.41 30.8 2.12 22.6 Paid leave............................ 1.16 6.3 1.57 7.0 .96 5.5 .38 4.1 Vacation............................ .58 3.1 .77 3.4 .50 2.8 .18 1.9 Holiday............................. .40 2.2 .54 2.4 .34 1.9 .12 1.3 Sick................................ .14 .8 .20 .9 .07 .4 .06 .6 Other............................... .05 .3 .07 .3 .04 .2 .02 .2 Supplemental pay...................... .56 3.0 .63 2.8 .69 3.9 .14 1.5 Premium(2).......................... .22 1.2 .13 .6 .45 2.6 .08 .9 Shift differential.................. .05 .3 .04 .2 .07 .4 .03 .3 Nonproduction bonuses............... .29 1.6 .46 2.1 .17 1.0 .04 .4 Insurance............................. 1.10 5.9 1.24 5.5 1.27 7.2 .43 4.6 Life................................ .04 .2 .06 .3 .05 .3 (3) (3) Health.............................. 1.00 5.4 1.11 5.0 1.17 6.7 .40 4.3 Short-term disability(4)............ .04 .2 .04 .2 .04 .2 .02 .2 Long-term disability................ .02 .1 .03 .1 .02 .1 (3) (3) Retirement and savings................ .55 3.0 .66 2.9 .62 3.5 .13 1.4 Defined benefit..................... .24 1.3 .22 1.0 .39 2.2 .06 .6 Defined contribution................ .30 1.6 .44 2.0 .23 1.3 .06 .6 Legally required benefits............. 1.63 8.8 1.71 7.6 1.83 10.4 1.04 11.1 Social Security(5).................. 1.12 6.1 1.34 6.0 1.04 5.9 .66 7.0 OASDI............................. .90 4.9 1.07 4.8 .84 4.8 .53 5.7 Medicare.......................... .22 1.2 .27 1.2 .20 1.1 .13 1.4 Federal unemployment insurance...... .03 .2 .03 .1 .03 .2 .04 .4 State unemployment insurance........ .11 .6 .11 .5 .12 .7 .10 1.1 Workers' compensation............... .36 1.9 .23 1.0 .64 3.6 .24 2.6 Other benefits(6)..................... .03 .2 .03 .1 .03 .2 (3) (3) 1 This series may be discontinued with the March 1999 news release. 2 Includes premium pay for work in addition to the regular work schedule (such as overtime, weekends, and holidays). 3 Cost per hour worked is $0.01 or less. 4 Short-term disability (previously, sickness and accident insurance) includes all insured, self-insured, and state-mandated plans that provide benefits for each disability, including unfunded plans. 5 The total employer's cost for Social Security is comprised of an OASDI portion and a Medicare portion. OASDI is the abbreviation for Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance. 6 Includes severance pay and supplemental unemployment benefits. Note: The sum of individual items may not equal totals due to rounding. Table 7. Employer costs per hour worked for employee compensation and costs as a percent of total compensation: Private industry workers, by region and bargaining status, March 1998 Region(1) Bargaining status Compensation component Northeast South Midwest West Union Nonunion Cost Percent Cost Percent Cost Percent Cost Percent Cost Percent Cost Percent Total compensation.................. $20.38 100.0% $16.45 100.0% $18.15 100.0% $19.94 100.0% $23.59 100.0% $17.80 100.0% Wages and salaries................ 14.70 72.1 12.14 73.8 12.99 71.6 14.75 74.0 15.38 65.2 13.21 74.2 Total benefits.................... 5.68 27.9 4.31 26.2 5.16 28.4 5.18 26.0 8.22 34.8 4.58 25.7 Paid leave...................... 1.40 6.9 .97 5.9 1.13 6.2 1.23 6.2 1.57 6.7 1.11 6.2 Vacation...................... .67 3.3 .49 3.0 .58 3.2 .60 3.0 .85 3.6 .54 3.0 Holiday....................... .49 2.4 .33 2.0 .39 2.1 .43 2.2 .51 2.2 .39 2.2 Sick.......................... .19 .9 .12 .7 .11 .6 .15 .8 .14 .6 .14 .8 Other......................... .06 .3 .04 .2 .05 .3 .05 .3 .07 .3 .05 .3 Supplemental pay................ .58 2.8 .42 2.6 .70 3.9 .56 2.8 .95 4.0 .51 2.9 Premium(2).................... .20 1.0 .21 1.3 .27 1.5 .19 1.0 .60 2.5 .17 1.0 Shift differential............ .05 .2 .03 .2 .06 .3 .05 .3 .14 .6 .04 .2 Nonproduction bonuses......... .33 1.6 .18 1.1 .36 2.0 .33 1.7 .21 .9 .30 1.7 Insurance....................... 1.28 6.3 .96 5.8 1.14 6.3 1.05 5.3 2.15 9.1 .96 5.4 Life.......................... .05 .2 .04 .2 .05 .3 .04 .2 .08 .3 .04 .2 Health........................ 1.15 5.6 .87 5.3 1.04 5.7 .97 4.9 1.97 8.4 .86 4.8 Short-term disability(3)...... .06 .3 .03 .2 .04 .2 .02 .1 .08 .3 .03 .2 Long-term disability.......... .02 .1 .02 .1 .02 .1 .02 .1 .02 .1 .02 .1 Retirement and savings.......... .60 2.9 .48 2.9 .60 3.3 .54 2.7 1.29 5.5 .45 2.5 Defined benefit............... .24 1.2 .22 1.3 .29 1.6 .23 1.2 1.00 4.2 .14 .8 Defined contribution.......... .35 1.7 .26 1.6 .31 1.7 .31 1.6 .29 1.2 .31 1.7 Legally required benefits....... 1.80 8.8 1.46 8.9 1.55 8.5 1.78 8.9 2.18 9.2 1.55 8.7 Social Security(4)............ 1.21 5.9 1.02 6.2 1.10 6.1 1.21 6.1 1.33 5.6 1.09 6.1 OASDI....................... .97 4.8 .82 5.0 .88 4.8 .97 4.9 1.07 4.5 .88 4.9 Medicare.................... .24 1.2 .20 1.2 .21 1.2 .24 1.2 .25 1.1 .22 1.2 Federal unemployment insurance .03 .1 .03 .2 .03 .2 .03 .2 .03 .1 .03 .2 State unemployment insurance.. .17 .8 .06 .4 .10 .6 .13 .7 .14 .6 .11 .6 Workers' compensation......... .38 1.9 .34 2.1 .32 1.8 .41 2.1 .69 2.9 .31 1.7 Other benefits(5)............... .03 .1 .02 .1 .04 .2 .02 .1 .08 .3 .02 .1 1 The regional coverage is as follows: Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont; South: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia; Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin; and West: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. 2 Includes premium pay for work in addition to the regular work schedule (such as overtime, weekends, and holidays). 3 Short-term disability (previously, sickness and accident insurance) includes all insured, self-insured, and state-mandated plans that provide benefits for each disability, including unfunded plans. 4 The total employer's cost for Social Security is comprised of an OASDI portion and a Medicare portion. OASDI is the abbreviation for Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance. 5 Includes severance pay and supplemental unemployment benefits. Note: The sum of individual items may not equal totals due to rounding. Table 8. Employer costs per hour worked for employee compensation and costs as a percent of total compensation: Private industry workers, by establishment employment size, March 1998 All workers in 1-99 100 or more workers private industry workers Compensation component Total 100-499 500 or more workers workers Cost Percent Cost Percent Cost Percent Cost Percent Cost Percent Total compensation........................ $18.50 100.0% $15.92 100.0% $21.20 100.0% $17.52 100.0% $25.56 100.0% Wages and salaries...................... 13.47 72.8 12.01 75.4 15.01 70.8 12.67 72.3 17.78 69.6 Total benefits.......................... 5.02 27.1 3.91 24.6 6.19 29.2 4.85 27.7 7.78 30.4 Paid leave............................ 1.16 6.3 .81 5.1 1.53 7.2 1.08 6.2 2.07 8.1 Vacation............................ .58 3.1 .39 2.4 .77 3.6 .53 3.0 1.05 4.1 Holiday............................. .40 2.2 .29 1.8 .51 2.4 .37 2.1 .68 2.7 Sick................................ .14 .8 .09 .6 .18 .8 .13 .7 .24 .9 Other............................... .05 .3 .03 .2 .07 .3 .05 .3 .09 .4 Supplemental pay...................... .56 3.0 .43 2.7 .69 3.3 .57 3.3 .84 3.3 Premium(1).......................... .22 1.2 .15 .9 .29 1.4 .25 1.4 .34 1.3 Shift differential.................. .05 .3 (2) (2) .09 .4 .05 .3 .13 .5 Nonproduction bonuses............... .29 1.6 .27 1.7 .32 1.5 .27 1.5 .37 1.4 Insurance............................. 1.10 5.9 .80 5.0 1.42 6.7 1.11 6.3 1.78 7.0 Life................................ .04 .2 .03 .2 .06 .3 .04 .2 .07 .3 Health.............................. 1.00 5.4 .73 4.6 1.28 6.0 1.01 5.8 1.59 6.2 Short-term disability(3)............ .04 .2 .02 .1 .05 .2 .04 .2 .08 .3 Long-term disability................ .02 .1 (2) (2) .03 .1 .02 .1 .04 .2 Retirement and savings................ .55 3.0 .35 2.2 .75 3.5 .51 2.9 1.04 4.1 Defined benefit..................... .24 1.3 .13 .8 .37 1.7 .20 1.1 .56 2.2 Defined contribution................ .30 1.6 .23 1.4 .39 1.8 .31 1.8 .48 1.9 Legally required benefits............. 1.63 8.8 1.51 9.5 1.75 8.3 1.57 9.0 1.97 7.7 Social Security(4).................. 1.12 6.1 1.00 6.3 1.25 5.9 1.06 6.1 1.48 5.8 OASDI............................. .90 4.9 .80 5.0 1.01 4.8 .85 4.9 1.19 4.7 Medicare.......................... .22 1.2 .20 1.3 .25 1.2 .21 1.2 .29 1.1 Federal unemployment insurance...... .03 .2 .03 .2 .03 .1 .03 .2 .03 .1 State unemployment insurance........ .11 .6 .11 .7 .11 .5 .12 .7 .10 .4 Workers' compensation............... .36 1.9 .36 2.3 .35 1.7 .36 2.1 .35 1.4 Other benefits(5)..................... .03 .2 (2) (2) .05 .2 (2) (2) .08 .3 1 Includes premium pay for work in addition to the regular work schedule (such as overtime, weekends, and holidays). 2 Cost per hour worked is $0.01 or less. 3 Short-term disability (previously, sickness and accident insurance) includes all insured, self-insured, and state-mandated plans that provide benefits for each disability, including unfunded plans. 4 The total employer's cost for Social Security is comprised of an OASDI portion and a Medicare portion. OASDI is the abbreviation for Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance. 5 Includes severance pay and supplemental unemployment benefits. Note: The sum of individual items may not equal totals due to rounding. Table 9. Employer costs per hour worked for employee compensation and costs as a percent of total compensation: Private industry workers, by major occupational and industry group, and full-time and part-time status, March 1998 Benefit costs Total Wages Series compen- and Supple- Retire- Legally Other sation salaries Paid mental ment required bene- Total leave pay Insurance and benefits fits(1) savings Cost per hour worked All full-time workers in private industry........ $20.95 $15.03 $5.93 $1.42 $0.68 $1.34 $0.67 $1.78 $0.03 White-collar occupations....................... 24.75 18.07 6.67 1.85 .73 1.44 .78 1.84 .04 Sales(2)..................................... 20.27 15.70 4.57 .99 .56 .95 .46 1.60 .02 Administrative support, including clerical... 16.66 11.89 4.76 1.22 .39 1.35 .51 1.27 .02 Blue-collar occupations........................ 18.48 12.70 5.77 1.05 .75 1.38 .66 1.91 .04 Service occupations(2)......................... 11.39 8.38 3.02 .63 .23 .77 .21 1.17 (3) Goods-producing industries(4).................. 22.58 15.53 7.05 1.51 .87 1.66 .85 2.10 .07 Construction(2).............................. 22.06 15.71 6.35 .70 .61 1.32 1.05 2.66 (3) Manufacturing................................ 22.60 15.40 7.19 1.72 .93 1.74 .78 1.93 .08 Service-producing industries(5)................ 20.26 14.81 5.44 1.38 .60 1.20 .59 1.65 .02 Transportation and public utilities(6)....... 25.33 17.49 7.84 1.90 .71 1.95 1.08 2.15 .04 Wholesale trade.............................. 21.63 15.68 5.95 1.37 .67 1.41 .65 1.83 .02 Retail trade................................. 13.32 10.33 2.99 .64 .27 .62 .19 1.27 (3) Finance, insurance, and real estate.......... 25.56 18.02 7.54 1.89 1.27 1.64 .97 1.73 .05 Services..................................... 20.42 15.10 5.32 1.46 .52 1.13 .55 1.64 (3) All part-time workers in private industry........ 10.01 8.10 1.90 .27 .15 .27 .14 1.08 (3) White-collar occupations....................... 12.52 10.14 2.38 .43 .20 .38 .18 1.18 (3) Sales(2)..................................... 8.03 6.57 1.46 .19 .12 .20 .10 .84 (3) Administrative support, including clerical... 11.53 9.10 2.43 .43 .21 .57 .18 1.05 (3) Blue-collar occupations........................ 9.86 7.54 2.32 .22 .24 .40 .25 1.21 (3) Service occupations(2)......................... 7.41 6.15 1.26 .12 .06 .11 .05 .91 (3) Goods-producing industries(4).................. 12.21 9.52 2.69 .25 .30 .27 .12 1.74 (3) Service-producing industries(5)................ 9.93 8.06 1.88 .27 .14 .27 .14 1.05 (3) Retail trade................................. 7.37 6.04 1.33 .13 .08 .17 .07 .87 (3) Service industries........................... 12.47 10.18 2.29 .40 .19 .33 .16 1.22 (3) Percent of total compensation All full-time workers in private industry........ 100.0% 71.7% 28.3% 6.8% 3.2% 6.4% 3.2% 8.5% 0.1% White-collar occupations....................... 100.0 73.0 26.9 7.5 2.9 5.8 3.2 7.4 .2 Sales(2)..................................... 100.0 77.5 22.5 4.9 2.8 4.7 2.3 7.9 .1 Administrative support, including clerical... 100.0 71.4 28.6 7.3 2.3 8.1 3.1 7.6 .1 Blue-collar occupations........................ 100.0 68.7 31.2 5.7 4.1 7.5 3.6 10.3 .2 Service occupations(2)......................... 100.0 73.6 26.5 5.5 2.0 6.8 1.8 10.3 (3) Goods-producing industries(4).................. 100.0 68.8 31.2 6.7 3.9 7.4 3.8 9.3 .3 Construction(2).............................. 100.0 71.2 28.8 3.2 2.8 6.0 4.8 12.1 (3) Manufacturing................................ 100.0 68.1 31.8 7.6 4.1 7.7 3.5 8.5 .4 Service-producing industries(5)................ 100.0 73.1 26.9 6.8 3.0 5.9 2.9 8.1 .1 Transportation and public utilities(6)....... 100.0 69.0 31.0 7.5 2.8 7.7 4.3 8.5 .2 Wholesale trade.............................. 100.0 72.5 27.5 6.3 3.1 6.5 3.0 8.5 .1 Retail trade................................. 100.0 77.6 22.4 4.8 2.0 4.7 1.4 9.5 (3) Finance, insurance, and real estate.......... 100.0 70.5 29.5 7.4 5.0 6.4 3.8 6.8 .2 Services..................................... 100.0 73.9 26.1 7.1 2.5 5.5 2.7 8.0 (3) All part-time workers in private industry........ 100.0 80.9 19.0 2.7 1.5 2.7 1.4 10.8 (3) White-collar occupations....................... 100.0 81.0 19.0 3.4 1.6 3.0 1.4 9.4 (3) Sales(2)..................................... 100.0 81.8 18.2 2.4 1.5 2.5 1.2 10.5 (3) Administrative support, including clerical... 100.0 78.9 21.1 3.7 1.8 4.9 1.6 9.1 (3) Blue-collar occupations........................ 100.0 76.5 23.5 2.2 2.4 4.1 2.5 12.3 (3) Service occupations(2)......................... 100.0 83.0 17.0 1.6 .8 1.5 .7 12.3 (3) Goods-producing industries(4).................. 100.0 78.0 22.0 2.0 2.5 2.2 1.0 14.3 (3) Service-producing industries(5)................ 100.0 81.2 18.9 2.7 1.4 2.7 1.4 10.6 (3) Retail trade................................. 100.0 82.0 18.0 1.8 1.1 2.3 .9 11.8 (3) Service industries........................... 100.0 81.6 18.4 3.2 1.5 2.6 1.3 9.8 (3) 1 Includes severance pay and supplemental unemployment benefits. 2 This series may be discontinued with the March 1999 news release. 3 Cost per hour worked is $0.01 or less. 4 Includes mining, construction, and manufacturing. 5 Includes transportation, communication, and public utilities; wholesale and retail trade; finance, insurance, and real estate; and service industries. 6 Estimates for transportation and public utilities, which were not published in 1997, are now available and reflect the changes in SIC coding. See Explanatory Notes for further information. Note: The sum of individual items may not equal totals due to rounding. Table 10. Employer costs per hour worked for employee compensation and costs as a percent of total compensation: Private industry workers, by occupational and industry group, March 1998 Benefit costs Total Wages Series compen- and Supple- Retire- Legally Other sation salaries Paid mental ment required bene- Total leave pay Insurance and benefits fits(1) savings Cost per hour worked All workers in private industry.................. $18.50 $13.47 $5.02 $1.16 $0.56 $1.10 $0.55 $1.63 $0.03 Occupational group White-collar occupations....................... 22.38 16.54 5.84 1.57 .63 1.24 .66 1.71 .03 Professional specialty and technical......... 29.54 21.80 7.75 2.17 .86 1.50 .93 2.24 .04 Professional specialty..................... 31.60 23.38 8.21 2.33 .94 1.55 .98 2.37 .04 Technical.................................. 24.26 17.72 6.54 1.76 .64 1.38 .80 1.93 .04 Executive, administrative, and managerial.... 34.37 25.02 9.35 2.89 1.16 1.65 1.16 2.43 .06 Sales(2)..................................... 15.56 12.19 3.38 .68 .39 .66 .32 1.31 (3) Administrative support, including clerical... 15.83 11.44 4.39 1.09 .36 1.22 .45 1.24 .02 Blue-collar occupations........................ 17.56 12.15 5.41 .96 .69 1.27 .62 1.83 .03 Precision production, craft, and repair...... 23.06 16.01 7.04 1.33 .84 1.58 .90 2.35 .05 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors 16.42 11.02 5.40 1.01 .84 1.40 .51 1.59 .05 Transportation and material moving........... 17.50 12.19 5.31 .88 .61 1.22 .61 1.97 (3) Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers..................................... 12.46 8.84 3.61 .53 .43 .83 .40 1.41 (3) Service occupations(2)......................... 9.37 7.25 2.12 .38 .14 .43 .13 1.04 (3) Industry group Goods-producing industries(4).................. 22.26 15.35 6.91 1.47 .85 1.62 .82 2.09 .07 Construction(2).............................. 21.71 15.51 6.21 .68 .60 1.28 1.01 2.63 (3) Manufacturing................................ 22.29 15.22 7.07 1.68 .91 1.70 .76 1.93 .08 Durables................................... 24.03 16.17 7.85 1.85 1.08 1.89 .84 2.08 .12 Nondurables................................ 19.74 13.82 5.91 1.44 .67 1.43 .65 1.69 .02 Service-producing industries(5)................ 17.31 12.88 4.42 1.07 .47 .94 .46 1.48 (3) Transportation and public utilities(6)....... 23.46 16.26 7.20 1.68 .65 1.76 1.01 2.05 .04 Wholesale trade.............................. 20.88 15.20 5.68 1.30 .63 1.33 .62 1.78 .02 Retail trade................................. 10.33 8.17 2.16 .38 .18 .40 .13 1.07 (3) Finance, insurance, and real estate.......... 24.18 17.15 7.03 1.75 1.17 1.52 .90 1.66 .04 Services....................................... 18.38 13.84 4.54 1.19 .44 .92 .45 1.53 (3) Percent of total compensation All workers in private industry.................. 100.0% 72.8% 27.1% 6.3% 3.0% 5.9% 3.0% 8.8% 0.2% Occupational group White-collar occupations....................... 100.0 73.9 26.1 7.0 2.8 5.5 2.9 7.6 .1 Professional specialty and technical......... 100.0 73.8 26.2 7.3 2.9 5.1 3.1 7.6 .1 Professional specialty..................... 100.0 74.0 26.0 7.4 3.0 4.9 3.1 7.5 .1 Technical.................................. 100.0 73.0 27.0 7.3 2.6 5.7 3.3 8.0 .2 Executive, administrative, and managerial.... 100.0 72.8 27.2 8.4 3.4 4.8 3.4 7.1 .2 Sales(2)..................................... 100.0 78.3 21.7 4.4 2.5 4.2 2.1 8.4 (3) Administrative support, including clerical... 100.0 72.3 27.7 6.9 2.3 7.7 2.8 7.8 .1 Blue-collar occupations........................ 100.0 69.2 30.8 5.5 3.9 7.2 3.5 10.4 .2 Precision production, craft, and repair...... 100.0 69.4 30.5 5.8 3.6 6.9 3.9 10.2 .2 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors 100.0 67.1 32.9 6.2 5.1 8.5 3.1 9.7 .3 Transportation and material moving........... 100.0 69.7 30.3 5.0 3.5 7.0 3.5 11.3 (3) Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers..................................... 100.0 70.9 29.0 4.3 3.5 6.7 3.2 11.3 (3) Service occupations(2)......................... 100.0 77.4 22.6 4.1 1.5 4.6 1.4 11.1 (3) Industry group Goods-producing industries(4).................. 100.0 69.0 31.0 6.6 3.8 7.3 3.7 9.4 .3 Construction(2).............................. 100.0 71.4 28.6 3.1 2.8 5.9 4.7 12.1 (3) Manufacturing................................ 100.0 68.3 31.7 7.5 4.1 7.6 3.4 8.7 .4 Durables................................... 100.0 67.3 32.7 7.7 4.5 7.9 3.5 8.7 .5 Nondurables................................ 100.0 70.0 29.9 7.3 3.4 7.2 3.3 8.6 .1 Service-producing industries(5)................ 100.0 74.4 25.5 6.2 2.7 5.4 2.7 8.5 (3) Transportation and public utilities(6)....... 100.0 69.3 30.7 7.2 2.8 7.5 4.3 8.7 .2 Wholesale trade.............................. 100.0 72.8 27.2 6.2 3.0 6.4 3.0 8.5 .1 Retail trade................................. 100.0 79.1 20.9 3.7 1.7 3.9 1.3 10.4 (3) Finance, insurance, and real estate.......... 100.0 70.9 29.1 7.2 4.8 6.3 3.7 6.9 .2 Services....................................... 100.0 75.3 24.7 6.5 2.4 5.0 2.4 8.3 (3) 1 Includes severance pay and supplemental unemployment benefits. 2 This series may be discontinued with the March 1999 news release. 3 Cost per hour worked is $0.01 or less. 4 Includes mining, construction, and manufacturing. 5 Includes transportation, communication, and public utilities; wholesale and retail trade; finance, insurance, and real estate; and service industries. 6 Estimates for transportation and public utilities, which were not published in 1997, are now available and reflect the changes in SIC coding. See Explanatory Notes for further information. Note: The sum of individual items may not equal totals due to rounding. Table 11. Employer costs per hour worked for employee compensation and costs as a percent of total compensation: Goods-producing and service-producing industry workers, by occupational group, March 1998 Benefit costs Total Wages Series compen- and Supple- Retire- Legally Other sation salaries Paid mental ment required bene- Total leave pay Insurance and benefits fits(1) savings Cost per hour worked All workers, goods-producing industries(2)....... $22.26 $15.35 $6.91 $1.47 $0.85 $1.62 $0.82 $2.09 $0.07 White-collar occupations....................... 29.71 21.27 8.44 2.47 .75 1.86 1.01 2.25 .09 Professional specialty and technical......... 35.69 25.62 10.07 3.21 .77 2.20 1.12 2.63 .13 Professional specialty..................... 38.63 27.93 10.70 3.54 .73 2.31 1.19 2.81 .13 Technical.................................. 27.07 18.86 8.21 2.25 .90 1.90 .93 2.09 .14 Executive, administrative, and managerial.... 40.03 28.54 11.49 3.41 1.13 2.14 1.74 2.96 .11 Administrative support, including clerical... 16.84 11.95 4.89 1.17 .49 1.40 .42 1.38 .04 Blue-collar occupations........................ 19.42 13.09 6.33 1.07 .89 1.53 .76 2.04 .05 Precision production, craft, and repair...... 24.26 16.48 7.78 1.30 .99 1.74 1.06 2.61 .07 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors 17.36 11.48 5.88 1.10 .94 1.55 .58 1.66 .06 Transportation and material moving........... 19.06 12.75 6.30 .99 .93 1.47 .74 2.15 (3) Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers..................................... 14.09 9.77 4.32 .57 .52 1.02 .53 1.66 .02 Service occupations(4)......................... 16.48 10.86 5.62 1.09 .86 1.39 .53 1.68 .08 All workers, service-producing industries(5)..... 17.31 12.88 4.42 1.07 .47 .94 .46 1.48 (3) White-collar occupations....................... 21.25 15.81 5.44 1.43 .61 1.14 .61 1.63 .02 Professional specialty and technical......... 28.16 20.94 7.23 1.94 .88 1.35 .88 2.16 .02 Professional specialty..................... 29.95 22.32 7.63 2.05 .99 1.38 .93 2.26 .02 Technical.................................. 23.70 17.49 6.21 1.66 .58 1.28 .77 1.90 .02 Executive, administrative, and managerial.... 32.96 24.15 8.81 2.76 1.16 1.53 1.01 2.29 .05 Sales(4)..................................... 15.28 11.99 3.29 .66 .38 .64 .31 1.28 (3) Administrative support, including clerical... 15.68 11.37 4.31 1.08 .34 1.20 .46 1.22 .02 Blue-collar occupations........................ 15.32 11.03 4.29 .82 .46 .97 .45 1.59 (3) Precision production, craft, and repair...... 21.04 15.23 5.81 1.38 .58 1.30 .63 1.92 .02 Transportation and material moving........... 16.93 11.99 4.94 .83 .50 1.13 .57 1.91 (3) Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers..................................... 11.65 8.38 3.27 .51 .38 .74 .34 1.28 (3) Service occupations(4)......................... 9.21 7.16 2.04 .36 .13 .41 .12 1.03 (3) Percent of total compensation All workers, goods-producing industries(2)....... 100.0% 69.0% 31.0% 6.6% 3.8% 7.3% 3.7% 9.4% 0.3% White-collar occupations....................... 100.0 71.6 28.4 8.3 2.5 6.3 3.4 7.6 .3 Professional specialty and technical......... 100.0 71.8 28.2 9.0 2.2 6.2 3.1 7.4 .4 Professional specialty..................... 100.0 72.3 27.7 9.2 1.9 6.0 3.1 7.3 .3 Technical.................................. 100.0 69.7 30.3 8.3 3.3 7.0 3.4 7.7 .5 Executive, administrative, and managerial.... 100.0 71.3 28.7 8.5 2.8 5.3 4.3 7.4 .3 Administrative support, including clerical... 100.0 71.0 29.0 6.9 2.9 8.3 2.5 8.2 .2 Blue-collar occupations........................ 100.0 67.4 32.6 5.5 4.6 7.9 3.9 10.5 .3 Precision production, craft, and repair...... 100.0 67.9 32.1 5.4 4.1 7.2 4.4 10.8 .3 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors 100.0 66.1 33.9 6.3 5.4 8.9 3.3 9.6 .3 Transportation and material moving........... 100.0 66.9 33.1 5.2 4.9 7.7 3.9 11.3 (3) Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers..................................... 100.0 69.3 30.7 4.0 3.7 7.2 3.8 11.8 .1 Service occupations(4)......................... 100.0 65.9 34.1 6.6 5.2 8.4 3.2 10.2 .5 All workers, service-producing industries(5)..... 100.0 74.4 25.5 6.2 2.7 5.4 2.7 8.5 (3) White-collar occupations....................... 100.0 74.4 25.6 6.7 2.9 5.4 2.9 7.7 .1 Professional specialty and technical......... 100.0 74.4 25.7 6.9 3.1 4.8 3.1 7.7 .1 Professional specialty..................... 100.0 74.5 25.5 6.8 3.3 4.6 3.1 7.5 .1 Technical.................................. 100.0 73.8 26.2 7.0 2.4 5.4 3.2 8.0 .1 Executive, administrative, and managerial.... 100.0 73.3 26.7 8.4 3.5 4.6 3.1 6.9 .2 Sales(4)..................................... 100.0 78.5 21.5 4.3 2.5 4.2 2.0 8.4 (3) Administrative support, including clerical... 100.0 72.5 27.5 6.9 2.2 7.7 2.9 7.8 .1 Blue-collar occupations........................ 100.0 72.0 28.0 5.4 3.0 6.3 2.9 10.4 (3) Precision production, craft, and repair...... 100.0 72.4 27.6 6.6 2.8 6.2 3.0 9.1 .1 Transportation and material moving........... 100.0 70.8 29.2 4.9 3.0 6.7 3.4 11.3 (3) Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers..................................... 100.0 71.9 28.1 4.4 3.3 6.4 2.9 11.0 (3) Service occupations(4)......................... 100.0 77.7 22.1 3.9 1.4 4.5 1.3 11.2 (3) 1 Includes severance pay and supplemental unemployment benefits. 2 Includes mining, construction, and manufacturing. 3 Cost per hour worked is $0.01 or less. 4 This series may be discontinued with the March 1999 news release. 5 Includes transportation, communication, and public utilities; wholesale and retail trade; finance, insurance, and real estate; and service industries. Note: The sum of individual items may not equal totals due to rounding. Table 12. Employer costs per hour worked for employee compensation and costs as a percent of total compensation: Manufacturing and nonmanufacturing industry workers, by occupational group, March 1998 Benefit costs Total Wages Series compen- and Supple- Retire- Legally Other sation salaries Paid mental ment required bene- Total leave pay Insurance and benefits fits(1) savings Cost per hour worked All workers, manufacturing industries............ $22.29 $15.22 $7.07 $1.68 $0.91 $1.70 $0.76 $1.93 $0.08 White-collar occupations....................... 30.31 21.59 8.72 2.63 .78 1.93 1.05 2.23 .10 Professional specialty and technical......... 35.75 25.57 10.18 3.25 .79 2.24 1.13 2.63 .14 Professional specialty..................... 38.45 27.70 10.75 3.55 .74 2.33 1.19 2.80 .14 Technical.................................. 27.64 19.17 8.46 2.35 .93 1.96 .96 2.12 .14 Executive, administrative, and managerial.... 41.78 29.67 12.11 3.78 1.23 2.23 1.91 2.83 .14 Administrative support, including clerical... 17.15 12.07 5.09 1.26 .49 1.44 .45 1.40 .05 Blue-collar occupations........................ 18.65 12.34 6.31 1.25 .97 1.60 .63 1.79 .07 Precision production, craft, and repair...... 24.39 15.93 8.45 1.91 1.31 1.96 .87 2.27 .13 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors 17.27 11.42 5.85 1.10 .93 1.54 .57 1.64 .06 Transportation and material moving........... 18.30 12.40 5.90 1.09 .84 1.45 .57 1.93 .02 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers..................................... 14.12 9.57 4.56 .76 .60 1.25 .50 1.41 .03 Service occupations(2)......................... 17.67 11.45 6.22 1.25 .97 1.55 .59 1.78 .09 All workers, nonmanufacturing industries......... 17.66 13.09 4.57 1.05 .48 .97 .50 1.56 (3) White-collar occupations....................... 21.37 15.90 5.48 1.44 .61 1.15 .61 1.65 .02 Professional specialty and technical......... 28.27 21.02 7.25 1.95 .87 1.35 .89 2.16 .02 Professional specialty..................... 30.12 22.45 7.67 2.07 .99 1.38 .93 2.27 .02 Technical.................................. 23.65 17.45 6.20 1.65 .58 1.27 .77 1.90 .03 Executive, administrative, and managerial.... 33.06 24.20 8.86 2.74 1.14 1.55 1.02 2.36 .04 Sales(2)..................................... 15.34 12.03 3.30 .66 .38 .65 .31 1.29 (3) Administrative support, including clerical... 15.67 11.37 4.30 1.07 .34 1.20 .46 1.22 (3) Blue-collar occupations........................ 16.86 12.04 4.82 .77 .51 1.06 .61 1.86 (3) Precision production, craft, and repair...... 22.47 16.04 6.42 1.07 .63 1.41 .92 2.38 .02 Transportation and material moving........... 17.32 12.15 5.17 .83 .56 1.17 .62 1.98 (3) Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers..................................... 12.05 8.67 3.39 .48 .39 .73 .38 1.40 (3) Service occupations(2)......................... 9.21 7.16 2.04 .36 .13 .41 .12 1.03 (3) Percent of total compensation All workers, manufacturing industries............ 100.0% 68.3% 31.7% 7.5% 4.1% 7.6% 3.4% 8.7% 0.4% White-collar occupations....................... 100.0 71.2 28.8 8.7 2.6 6.4 3.5 7.4 .3 Professional specialty and technical......... 100.0 71.5 28.5 9.1 2.2 6.3 3.2 7.4 .4 Professional specialty..................... 100.0 72.0 28.0 9.2 1.9 6.1 3.1 7.3 .4 Technical.................................. 100.0 69.4 30.6 8.5 3.4 7.1 3.5 7.7 .5 Executive, administrative, and managerial.... 100.0 71.0 29.0 9.0 2.9 5.3 4.6 6.8 .3 Administrative support, including clerical... 100.0 70.4 29.7 7.3 2.9 8.4 2.6 8.2 .3 Blue-collar occupations........................ 100.0 66.2 33.8 6.7 5.2 8.6 3.4 9.6 .4 Precision production, craft, and repair...... 100.0 65.3 34.6 7.8 5.4 8.0 3.6 9.3 .5 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors 100.0 66.1 33.9 6.4 5.4 8.9 3.3 9.5 .3 Transportation and material moving........... 100.0 67.8 32.2 6.0 4.6 7.9 3.1 10.5 .1 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers..................................... 100.0 67.8 32.3 5.4 4.2 8.9 3.5 10.0 .2 Service occupations(2)......................... 100.0 64.8 35.2 7.1 5.5 8.8 3.3 10.1 .5 All workers, nonmanufacturing industries......... 100.0 74.1 25.9 5.9 2.7 5.5 2.8 8.8 (3) White-collar occupations....................... 100.0 74.4 25.6 6.7 2.9 5.4 2.9 7.7 .1 Professional specialty and technical......... 100.0 74.4 25.6 6.9 3.1 4.8 3.1 7.6 .1 Professional specialty..................... 100.0 74.5 25.5 6.9 3.3 4.6 3.1 7.5 .1 Technical.................................. 100.0 73.8 26.2 7.0 2.5 5.4 3.3 8.0 .1 Executive, administrative, and managerial.... 100.0 73.2 26.8 8.3 3.4 4.7 3.1 7.1 .1 Sales(2)..................................... 100.0 78.4 21.5 4.3 2.5 4.2 2.0 8.4 (3) Administrative support, including clerical... 100.0 72.6 27.4 6.8 2.2 7.7 2.9 7.8 (3) Blue-collar occupations........................ 100.0 71.4 28.6 4.6 3.0 6.3 3.6 11.0 (3) Precision production, craft, and repair...... 100.0 71.4 28.6 4.8 2.8 6.3 4.1 10.6 .1 Transportation and material moving........... 100.0 70.2 29.8 4.8 3.2 6.8 3.6 11.4 (3) Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers..................................... 100.0 72.0 28.1 4.0 3.2 6.1 3.2 11.6 (3) Service occupations(2)......................... 100.0 77.7 22.1 3.9 1.4 4.5 1.3 11.2 (3) 1 Includes severance pay and supplemental unemployment benefits. 2 This series may be discontinued with the March 1999 news release. 3 Cost per hour worked is $0.01 or less. Note: The sum of individual items may not equal totals due to rounding. Table 13. Employer costs per hour worked for employee compensation and costs as a percent of total compensation: Private industry workers, by bargaining status, and major industry and occupational group, March 1998 Benefit costs Total Wages Series compen- and Supple- Retire- Legally Other sation salaries Paid mental ment required bene- Total leave pay Insurance and benefits fits(1) savings Cost per hour worked All union workers, private industry.............. $23.59 $15.38 $8.22 $1.57 $0.95 $2.15 $1.29 $2.18 $0.08 Blue-collar occupations...................... 24.86 15.75 9.12 1.58 1.15 2.35 1.54 2.40 .10 Goods-producing industries..................... 25.37 16.01 9.36 1.58 1.22 2.46 1.50 2.46 .13 Service-producing industries................... 21.94 14.78 7.16 1.56 .69 1.86 1.09 1.93 .03 Manufacturing.................................. 22.75 14.20 8.55 1.74 1.33 2.22 1.00 2.10 .16 Blue-collar occupations...................... 22.62 13.98 8.64 1.69 1.40 2.22 1.04 2.12 .17 Nonmanufacturing............................... 24.10 16.09 8.01 1.47 .71 2.10 1.46 2.23 .03 All nonunion workers, private industry........... 17.80 13.21 4.58 1.11 .51 .96 .45 1.55 .02 Blue-collar occupations...................... 15.13 10.96 4.17 .75 .54 .91 .31 1.64 (2) Goods-producing industries..................... 21.27 15.14 6.13 1.43 .73 1.35 .61 1.97 .04 Service-producing industries................... 16.89 12.71 4.18 1.02 .45 .85 .41 1.44 (2) Manufacturing.................................. 22.13 15.56 6.57 1.66 .77 1.53 .69 1.87 .05 Blue-collar occupations...................... 16.73 11.54 5.19 1.04 .76 1.30 .43 1.62 .03 Nonmanufacturing............................... 17.00 12.78 4.22 1.00 .46 .85 .40 1.49 (2) Percent of total compensation All union workers, private industry.............. 100.0% 65.2% 34.8% 6.7% 4.0% 9.1% 5.5% 9.2% 0.3% Blue-collar occupations...................... 100.0 63.4 36.7 6.4 4.6 9.5 6.2 9.7 .4 Goods-producing industries..................... 100.0 63.1 36.9 6.2 4.8 9.7 5.9 9.7 .5 Service-producing industries................... 100.0 67.4 32.6 7.1 3.1 8.5 5.0 8.8 .1 Manufacturing.................................. 100.0 62.4 37.6 7.6 5.8 9.8 4.4 9.2 .7 Blue-collar occupations...................... 100.0 61.8 38.2 7.5 6.2 9.8 4.6 9.4 .8 Nonmanufacturing............................... 100.0 66.8 33.2 6.1 2.9 8.7 6.1 9.3 .1 All nonunion workers, private industry........... 100.0 74.2 25.7 6.2 2.9 5.4 2.5 8.7 .1 Blue-collar occupations...................... 100.0 72.4 27.6 5.0 3.6 6.0 2.0 10.8 (2) Goods-producing industries..................... 100.0 71.2 28.8 6.7 3.4 6.3 2.9 9.3 .2 Service-producing industries................... 100.0 75.3 24.7 6.0 2.7 5.0 2.4 8.5 (2) Manufacturing.................................. 100.0 70.3 29.7 7.5 3.5 6.9 3.1 8.5 .2 Blue-collar occupations...................... 100.0 69.0 31.0 6.2 4.5 7.8 2.6 9.7 .2 Nonmanufacturing............................... 100.0 75.2 24.8 5.9 2.7 5.0 2.4 8.8 (2) 1 Includes severance pay and supplemental unemployment benefits. 2 Cost per hour worked is $0.01 or less. Note: The sum of individual items may not equal totals due to rounding. Table 14. Employer costs per hour worked for employee compensation and costs as a percent of total compensation: Private industry workers, by establishment employment size, and major industry and occupational group, March 1998 Benefit costs Industry and occupational group, Total Wages and employment size compen- and Supple- Retire- Legally Other sation salaries Paid mental ment required bene- Total leave pay Insurance and benefits fits(1) savings Cost per hour worked All workers in private industry.................. $18.50 $13.47 $5.02 $1.16 $0.56 $1.10 $0.55 $1.63 $0.03 1-99 workers................................... 15.92 12.01 3.91 .81 .43 .80 .35 1.51 (2) 100 or more workers............................ 21.20 15.01 6.19 1.53 .69 1.42 .75 1.75 .05 100-499 workers.............................. 17.52 12.67 4.85 1.08 .57 1.11 .51 1.57 (2) 500 or more workers.......................... 25.56 17.78 7.78 2.07 .84 1.78 1.04 1.97 .08 Goods-producing industries(3).................. 22.26 15.35 6.91 1.47 .85 1.62 .82 2.09 .07 1-99 workers................................. 18.54 13.40 5.13 .80 .54 1.10 .58 2.10 (2) 100 or more workers.......................... 24.70 16.62 8.08 1.90 1.05 1.96 .99 2.09 .10 100-499 workers............................ 20.61 14.10 6.52 1.32 .88 1.62 .74 1.94 .02 500 or more workers........................ 28.63 19.05 9.58 2.46 1.21 2.29 1.22 2.23 .18 Service-producing industries(4)................ 17.31 12.88 4.42 1.07 .47 .94 .46 1.48 (2) 1-99 workers................................. 15.32 11.69 3.63 .81 .41 .73 .30 1.37 (2) 100 or more workers.......................... 19.72 14.33 5.39 1.38 .54 1.19 .66 1.61 .02 100-499 workers............................ 16.37 12.14 4.24 .99 .45 .92 .43 1.43 (2) 500 or more workers........................ 24.03 17.15 6.89 1.88 .66 1.53 .95 1.84 .04 White-collar occupations....................... 22.38 16.54 5.84 1.57 .63 1.24 .66 1.71 .03 1-99 workers................................. 19.18 14.57 4.61 1.15 .55 .95 .44 1.52 (2) 100 or more workers.......................... 25.54 18.48 7.05 1.99 .71 1.52 .88 1.90 .05 100-499 workers............................ 21.22 15.61 5.61 1.43 .65 1.24 .60 1.67 .02 500 or more workers........................ 29.53 21.14 8.39 2.50 .76 1.79 1.14 2.12 .07 Blue-collar occupations........................ 17.56 12.15 5.41 .96 .69 1.27 .62 1.83 .03 1-99 workers................................. 16.10 11.68 4.42 .67 .49 .96 .43 1.86 (2) 100 or more workers.......................... 18.99 12.62 6.37 1.24 .89 1.57 .80 1.80 .06 100-499 workers............................ 16.83 11.58 5.25 .96 .67 1.29 .60 1.71 (2) 500 or more workers........................ 21.89 14.01 7.88 1.61 1.18 1.96 1.07 1.93 .13 Percent of total compensation All workers in private industry.................. 100.0% 72.8% 27.1% 6.3% 3.0% 5.9% 3.0% 8.8% 0.2% 1-99 workers................................... 100.0 75.4 24.6 5.1 2.7 5.0 2.2 9.5 (2) 100 or more workers............................ 100.0 70.8 29.2 7.2 3.3 6.7 3.5 8.3 .2 100-499 workers.............................. 100.0 72.3 27.7 6.2 3.3 6.3 2.9 9.0 (2) 500 or more workers.......................... 100.0 69.6 30.4 8.1 3.3 7.0 4.1 7.7 .3 Goods-producing industries(3).................. 100.0 69.0 31.0 6.6 3.8 7.3 3.7 9.4 .3 1-99 workers................................. 100.0 72.3 27.7 4.3 2.9 5.9 3.1 11.3 (2) 100 or more workers.......................... 100.0 67.3 32.7 7.7 4.3 7.9 4.0 8.5 .4 100-499 workers............................ 100.0 68.4 31.6 6.4 4.3 7.9 3.6 9.4 .1 500 or more workers........................ 100.0 66.5 33.5 8.6 4.2 8.0 4.3 7.8 .6 Service-producing industries(4)................ 100.0 74.4 25.5 6.2 2.7 5.4 2.7 8.5 (2) 1-99 workers................................. 100.0 76.3 23.7 5.3 2.7 4.8 2.0 8.9 (2) 100 or more workers.......................... 100.0 72.7 27.3 7.0 2.7 6.0 3.3 8.2 .1 100-499 workers............................ 100.0 74.2 25.9 6.0 2.7 5.6 2.6 8.7 (2) 500 or more workers........................ 100.0 71.4 28.7 7.8 2.7 6.4 4.0 7.7 .2 White-collar occupations....................... 100.0 73.9 26.1 7.0 2.8 5.5 2.9 7.6 .1 1-99 workers................................. 100.0 76.0 24.0 6.0 2.9 5.0 2.3 7.9 (2) 100 or more workers.......................... 100.0 72.4 27.6 7.8 2.8 6.0 3.4 7.4 .2 100-499 workers............................ 100.0 73.6 26.4 6.7 3.1 5.8 2.8 7.9 .1 500 or more workers........................ 100.0 71.6 28.4 8.5 2.6 6.1 3.9 7.2 .2 Blue-collar occupations........................ 100.0 69.2 30.8 5.5 3.9 7.2 3.5 10.4 .2 1-99 workers................................. 100.0 72.5 27.5 4.2 3.0 6.0 2.7 11.6 (2) 100 or more workers.......................... 100.0 66.5 33.5 6.5 4.7 8.3 4.2 9.5 .3 100-499 workers............................ 100.0 68.8 31.2 5.7 4.0 7.7 3.6 10.2 (2) 500 or more workers........................ 100.0 64.0 36.0 7.4 5.4 9.0 4.9 8.8 .6 1 Includes severance pay and supplemental unemployment benefits. 2 Cost per hour worked is $0.01 or less. 3 Includes mining, construction, and manufacturing. 4 Includes transportation, communication, and public utilities; wholesale and retail trade; finance, insurance, and real estate; and service industries. Note: The sum of individual items may not equal totals due to rounding. Table 15. Employer costs per hour worked for employee compensation and costs as a percent of total compensation: Private industry health services workers, by industry and occupational group, March 1998 Benefit costs Total Wages Series compen- and Supple- Retire- Legally Other sation salaries Paid mental ment required bene- Total leave pay Insurance and benefits fits(1) savings Cost per hour worked Health services................................. $18.90 $14.01 $4.89 $1.37 $0.45 $1.06 $0.48 $1.51 (2) Professional specialty and technical........ 25.90 19.36 6.54 1.91 .70 1.25 .66 2.02 (2) Professional specialty.................... 29.51 22.05 7.46 2.28 .82 1.34 .76 2.25 (2) Nurses.................................. 28.21 20.72 7.48 2.22 1.04 1.33 .65 2.24 (2) Technical................................. 20.08 15.01 5.07 1.33 .50 1.10 .49 1.66 (2) Administrative support, including clerical.. 15.57 10.97 4.60 1.20 .30 1.37 .54 1.17 (2) Service occupations(3)........................ 11.13 8.38 2.75 .64 .24 .64 .22 1.01 (2) Hospitals..................................... 22.15 15.85 6.31 1.85 .69 1.48 .57 1.70 (2) Professional specialty and technical........ 27.15 19.56 7.58 2.23 .99 1.57 .69 2.09 (2) Professional specialty.................... 29.79 21.64 8.15 2.42 1.12 1.56 .75 2.29 (2) Nurses.................................. 29.78 21.42 8.36 2.44 1.33 1.54 .71 2.32 (2) Technical................................. 20.93 14.67 6.25 1.78 .67 1.60 .56 1.63 (2) Administrative support, including clerical.. 15.69 11.01 4.68 1.37 .30 1.40 .43 1.18 (2) Service occupations(3)........................ 13.20 9.05 4.15 1.00 .43 1.34 .33 1.04 (2) Nursing homes................................. 12.82 9.70 3.12 .79 .27 .63 .16 1.27 (2) Professional specialty and technical........ 18.86 14.45 4.40 1.14 .43 .73 .22 1.88 (2) Professional specialty.................... 20.85 16.16 4.68 1.24 .36 .78 .25 2.05 (2) Technical................................. 17.02 12.88 4.15 1.04 .50 .68 .19 1.72 (2) Service occupations(3)........................ 10.19 7.61 2.58 .60 .23 .58 .13 1.05 (2) Percent of total compensation Health services................................. 100.0% 74.1% 25.9% 7.2% 2.4% 5.6% 2.5% 8.0% (2) Professional specialty and technical........ 100.0 74.7 25.3 7.4 2.7 4.8 2.5 7.8 (2) Professional specialty.................... 100.0 74.7 25.3 7.7 2.8 4.5 2.6 7.6 (2) Nurses.................................. 100.0 73.4 26.5 7.9 3.7 4.7 2.3 7.9 (2) Technical................................. 100.0 74.8 25.2 6.6 2.5 5.5 2.4 8.3 (2) Administrative support, including clerical.. 100.0 70.5 29.5 7.7 1.9 8.8 3.5 7.5 (2) Service occupations(3)........................ 100.0 75.3 24.7 5.8 2.2 5.8 2.0 9.1 (2) Hospitals..................................... 100.0 71.6 28.5 8.4 3.1 6.7 2.6 7.7 (2) Professional specialty and technical........ 100.0 72.0 27.9 8.2 3.6 5.8 2.5 7.7 (2) Professional specialty.................... 100.0 72.6 27.4 8.1 3.8 5.2 2.5 7.7 (2) Nurses.................................. 100.0 71.9 28.1 8.2 4.5 5.2 2.4 7.8 (2) Technical................................. 100.0 70.1 29.9 8.5 3.2 7.6 2.7 7.8 (2) Administrative support, including clerical.. 100.0 70.2 29.8 8.7 1.9 8.9 2.7 7.5 (2) Service occupations(3)........................ 100.0 68.6 31.4 7.6 3.3 10.2 2.5 7.9 (2) Nursing homes................................. 100.0 75.7 24.3 6.2 2.1 4.9 1.2 9.9 (2) Professional specialty and technical........ 100.0 76.6 23.3 6.0 2.3 3.9 1.2 10.0 (2) Professional specialty.................... 100.0 77.5 22.4 5.9 1.7 3.7 1.2 9.8 (2) Technical................................. 100.0 75.7 24.4 6.1 2.9 4.0 1.1 10.1 (2) Service occupations(3)........................ 100.0 74.7 25.3 5.9 2.3 5.7 1.3 10.3 (2) 1 Includes severance pay and supplemental unemployment benefits. 2 Cost per hour worked is $0.01 or less. 3 This series may be discontinued with the March 1999 news release. Note: The sum of individual items may not equal totals due to rounding. Table 16. Employer costs per hour worked for employee compensation and costs as a percent of total compensation: Transportation equipment manufacturing and public utilities workers, by industry and occupational group, March 1998 Benefit costs Total Wages Series compen- and Supple- Retire- Legally Other sation salaries Paid mental ment required bene- Total leave pay Insurance and benefits fits(1) savings Cost per hour worked Transportation equipment manufacturing (SIC 37). $32.34 $20.23 $12.11 $2.83 $1.78 $2.85 $1.57 $2.76 $0.32 White-collar occupations...................... 37.68 25.95 11.73 3.72 .89 2.63 1.50 2.80 .19 Professional specialty and technical........ 42.58 29.81 12.77 4.17 .90 2.74 1.63 3.15 .18 Executive, administrative, and managerial... 41.90 28.95 12.95 4.45 .95 2.66 1.71 3.00 .19 Blue-collar occupations....................... 29.22 17.02 12.20 2.30 2.25 2.96 1.60 2.71 .38 Service occupations(2)........................ 34.69 18.45 16.24 3.17 3.27 3.31 2.16 3.40 .93 Aircraft manufacturing (SIC 3721)............. 34.27 23.32 10.95 3.23 1.08 2.48 1.42 2.69 .04 White-collar occupations(2)................. 36.97 25.68 11.30 3.52 .77 2.48 1.61 2.88 .04 Blue-collar occupations..................... 29.56 19.24 10.32 2.72 1.63 2.49 1.08 2.35 .05 Public utilities (SIC's 48, 49)................. 27.72 19.11 8.61 2.36 .81 2.24 1.13 1.98 .08 White-collar occupations...................... 27.57 19.20 8.37 2.34 .67 2.19 1.11 1.96 .11 Blue-collar occupations....................... 28.44 19.19 9.25 2.46 1.09 2.41 1.19 2.04 .05 Communications (SIC 48)....................... 25.14 17.64 7.51 2.01 .69 2.04 .87 1.81 .09 White-collar occupations.................... 24.69 17.44 7.25 1.97 .61 1.96 .81 1.81 .10 Blue-collar occupations..................... 26.85 18.43 8.41 2.18 .93 2.35 1.06 1.85 .05 Electric, gas, and sanitary services (SIC 49). 32.15 21.64 10.51 2.98 1.00 2.59 1.58 2.28 .08 White-collar occupations.................... 34.00 23.12 10.88 3.17 .80 2.70 1.79 2.31 .11 Blue-collar occupations..................... 30.16 20.01 10.14 2.77 1.26 2.48 1.34 2.25 .05 Percent of total compensation Transportation equipment manufacturing (SIC 37). 100.0% 62.6% 37.4% 8.8% 5.5% 8.8% 4.9% 8.5% 1.0% White-collar occupations...................... 100.0 68.9 31.1 9.9 2.4 7.0 4.0 7.4 .5 Professional specialty and technical........ 100.0 70.0 30.0 9.8 2.1 6.4 3.8 7.4 .4 Executive, administrative, and managerial... 100.0 69.1 30.9 10.6 2.3 6.3 4.1 7.2 .5 Blue-collar occupations....................... 100.0 58.2 41.8 7.9 7.7 10.1 5.5 9.3 1.3 Service occupations(2)........................ 100.0 53.2 46.8 9.1 9.4 9.5 6.2 9.8 2.7 Aircraft manufacturing (SIC 3721)............. 100.0 68.0 32.0 9.4 3.2 7.2 4.1 7.8 .1 White-collar occupations(2)................. 100.0 69.5 30.6 9.5 2.1 6.7 4.4 7.8 .1 Blue-collar occupations..................... 100.0 65.1 34.9 9.2 5.5 8.4 3.7 7.9 .2 Public utilities (SIC's 48, 49)................. 100.0 68.9 31.1 8.5 2.9 8.1 4.1 7.1 .3 White-collar occupations...................... 100.0 69.6 30.4 8.5 2.4 7.9 4.0 7.1 .4 Blue-collar occupations....................... 100.0 67.5 32.5 8.6 3.8 8.5 4.2 7.2 .2 Communications (SIC 48)....................... 100.0 70.2 29.9 8.0 2.7 8.1 3.5 7.2 .4 White-collar occupations.................... 100.0 70.6 29.4 8.0 2.5 7.9 3.3 7.3 .4 Blue-collar occupations..................... 100.0 68.6 31.3 8.1 3.5 8.8 3.9 6.9 .2 Electric, gas, and sanitary services (SIC 49). 100.0 67.3 32.7 9.3 3.1 8.1 4.9 7.1 .2 White-collar occupations.................... 100.0 68.0 32.0 9.3 2.4 7.9 5.3 6.8 .3 Blue-collar occupations..................... 100.0 66.3 33.6 9.2 4.2 8.2 4.4 7.5 .2 1 Includes severance pay and supplemental unemployment benefits. 2 This series may be discontinued with the March 1999 news release. Note: The sum of individual items may not equal totals due to rounding. Appendix. Employer costs per hour worked for components of compensation, and relative standard errors,(1) by major industry and occupation categories, March 1998 Benefit costs Industry or Total Wages occupation category compen- and Supple- Retire- Legally Other sation salaries Paid mental ment required bene- Total leave pay Insurance and benefits fits(2) savings Civilian workers Cost per hour worked.......................... $19.76 $14.30 $5.47 $1.30 $0.51 $1.25 $0.75 $1.63 $0.03 Relative error................................ .7% .7% 1.0% 1.4% 5.0% 1.3% 2.0% .7% 11.4% State and local government workers Cost per hour worked........................ $27.28 $19.19 $8.10 $2.11 $.23 $2.15 $1.94 $1.63 $.04 Relative error.............................. 1.4% 1.4% 1.9% 1.9% 7.1% 2.1% 3.0% 2.1% 23.0% Private industry workers Cost per hour worked........................ $18.50 $13.47 $5.02 $1.16 $.56 $1.10 $.55 $1.63 $.03 Relative error.............................. .9% .9% 1.2% 1.7% 5.5% 1.6% 2.9% .7% 12.5% Goods-producing industries Cost per hour worked...................... $22.26 $15.35 $6.91 $1.47 $.85 $1.62 $.82 $2.09 $.07 Relative error............................ 1.5% 1.3% 2.0% 2.2% 4.4% 2.7% 5.4% 1.6% 19.6% Service-producing industries Cost per hour worked...................... $17.31 $12.88 $4.42 $1.07 $.47 $.94 $.46 $1.48 (3) Relative error............................ 1.1% 1.1% 1.5% 2.2% 8.1% 1.9% 3.4% .8% (3) Manufacturing Cost per hour worked...................... $22.29 $15.22 $7.07 $1.68 $.91 $1.70 $.76 $1.93 $.08 Relative error............................ 1.8% 1.7% 2.2% 2.6% 5.2% 2.7% 5.9% 1.8% 20.6% Nonmanufacturing Cost per hour worked...................... $17.66 $13.09 $4.57 $1.05 $.48 $.97 $.50 $1.56 (3) Relative error............................ 1.0% 1.0% 1.5% 2.2% 7.4% 2.0% 3.4% .7% (3) White-collar workers Cost per hour worked...................... $22.38 $16.54 $5.84 $1.57 $.63 $1.24 $.66 $1.71 $.03 Relative error............................ 1.2% 1.2% 1.5% 2.1% 9.6% 1.9% 3.1% .7% 17.8% Blue-collar workers Cost per hour worked...................... $17.56 $12.15 $5.41 $.96 $.69 $1.27 $.62 $1.83 $.03 Relative error............................ 1.3% 1.1% 1.9% 2.4% 3.1% 2.8% 5.3% 1.3% 11.0% Service workers Cost per hour worked...................... $9.37 $7.25 $2.12 $.38 $.14 $.43 $.13 $1.04 (3) Relative error............................ 1.8% 1.7% 3.0% 5.3% 5.4% 5.7% 8.0% 2.2% (3) 1 The relative error is the standard error expressed as a percent of the cost. One can be 95-percent confident that the interval around the cost estimate bounded by two times plus and two times minus the standard error contains the "true" cost. 2 Includes severance pay and supplemental unemployment benefits. 3 Cost per hour worked is $0.01 or less. Note: The sum of individual items may not equal totals due to rounding. EXPLANATORY NOTES Employer Costs for Employee Compensation measures the average cost per employee hour worked that employers pay for wages and salaries and benefits. Wages and salaries are defined as the hourly straight-time wage rate. For workers not paid on an hourly basis, straight-time earnings are divided by the hours worked. Straight-time wage and salary rates are total earnings before payroll deductions and include production bonuses, incentive pay, commissions, and cost-of-living allowances. Not included in straight-time earnings are nonproduction bonuses, such as lump-sum payments provided in place of wage increases, shift differentials, and premium pay for overtime and weekend work; these payments are included in the benefits component. Benefits include: paid leave--vacations, holidays, sick leave, and other leave; supplemental pay--premium pay for work in addition to the regular work schedule (such as overtime, weekends, and holidays), shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, and lump sum payments provided in place of wage increases; insurance--life, health, short-term disability, and long-term disability; retirement and savings--defined benefit and defined contribution plans; legally required benefits--Social Security, Federal and State unemployment insurance, and Workers' Compensation; and other benefits--severance pay and supplemental unemployment benefits. The 1998 Survey Employer Costs for Employee Compensation include data from both private industry and state and local government. Not included are the self- employed and farm, household, and federal government workers. Survey data are published annually with the payroll period that includes March 12 as the reference period. The cost levels in this release are based on a sample of about 19,600 occupations within approximately 4,600 establishments in private industry and about 4,300 occupations within approximately 800 establishments in state and local government. Sample establishments are classified by industry categories based on the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system, as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. Within a sample establishment, specific job categories are selected to represent broader major occupational groups such as professional specialty and technical occupations. Current employment weights are used to calculate cost levels. The March 1998 cost levels were calculated using the March 1998 employment counts from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Employment Statistics (CES) program, benchmarked to the 1997 universe of all private nonfarm establishments. In most instances, private industry employment counts were total employment estimates for 2-digit major industry groups, such as primary metal manufacturing or food stores, as defined by the SIC system. In a few cases, 3- and 4-digit industry employment counts were used. These include the 4-digit aircraft manufacturing industry (3721) and the 3-digit health care and educational industries. In transportation and public utilities, Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) coding changes that were introduced with the 1996 CES benchmark were not incorporated into the 1997 estimates. However, they were incorporated into the 1998 estimates. The effect of this coding change was not analyzed for years prior to 1997, but is thought to be minimal. For more information on the SIC coding changes, see "BLS Establishment Estimates Revised to Incorporate March 1996 Benchmarks" in the June 1997 issue of Employment and Earnings. For state and local governments, employment counts ranged from those for 3-digit industries, such as education and health care, to those for major industry divisions, such as public administration. Employment data from these 2-, 3-, and 4-digit industries were distributed to major occupational groups (such as executives, administrators, and managers or machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors) using the relative importance of the groups in the Employment Cost Index (ECI) sample. Because the ECI establishment sample is completely replaced over a period of several years, major occupational group employment counts from the ECI are affected by the age of the sample. However, a few years difference in the age of the occupational data within industries is likely to have a small impact on the estimates. In contrast, the ECI, which measures the change in employer costs for employee compensation, is calculated with fixed 1990 employment counts to prevent employment shifts among occupations and industries from influencing the changes. Therefore, year-to-year changes in Employer Costs for Employee Compensation will differ from those in the ECI. More information on the cost levels, including how costs are calculated, appears in "Analyzing employers' costs for wages, salaries, and benefits," Monthly Labor Review, October 1987. The published March 1987 cost levels also appear in the article. Relative Standard Errors Because the ECEC is a sample survey, it is subject to sampling errors. Sampling errors are differences that occur between the results computed from a sample of observations and those computed from all observations in the population. The estimates derived from different samples selected using the same sample design may differ from each other. A measure of the variation among these differing estimates is the standard error. It can be used to measure the precision with which an estimate from a particular sample approximates the expected result of all possible samples. The chances are about 68 out of 100 that an estimate from the survey differs from a complete population figure by less than the standard error. The chances are about 90 out of 100 that this difference would be less than 1.6 times the standard error. All the statements of comparisons appearing in this publication are significant at a 1.6 standard error level or better, unless otherwise indicated. This means that, for differences cited, the estimated difference is greater than 1.6 times the standard error of the difference. The relative standard error is shown with the cost estimates for some series in the appendix. Relative standard errors for all published estimates are available on request. For a more detailed explanation of relative standard errors, see "Analyzing employer's costs for wages, salaries, and benefits," in the October 1987 issue of the Monthly Labor Review. For a detailed explanation of how to use standard error data to analyze differences in year-to-year changes, see "Analyzing Year-to-Year Changes in Employer Costs for Employee Compensation," Compensation and Working Conditions, Spring 1998. This article supplements two articles from the Summer 1997 issue of Compensation and Working Conditions which focus on trends in the ECI and ECEC. "Measuring Trends in the Structure and Levels for Employer Costs for Employee Compensation" discussed trends in the distribution of employer costs among compensation components at different points in time. "Explaining the Differential Growth Rates of the ECI and ECEC" examined how differences in the construction of these measures contribute to differing trends. Standard errors relate to differences that occur from sampling errors, but not from nonsampling errors. Sampling errors are differences between the results computed from a sample of observations and those computed from all observations in the population. Nonsampling errors are not measured and include survey nonresponse and data collection and processing errors. Survey nonresponse is when sample members are unwilling or unable to participate in the survey. Data collection errors include provision of inaccurate data by respondents and definitional difficulties. Processing errors include errors in recording, coding, and entering data. Although nonsampling errors are not measured, BLS quality assurance programs contain procedures for reducing such errors. These procedures include data collection reinterviews, observed interviews, computer data edits, and systematic review of reports on which data are recorded. Extensive field economist training also is conducted to maintain high data collection standards. Comparing private and public sector data Aggregate compensation cost levels in state and local government should not be directly compared with those in private industry. Differences between these sectors stem from factors such as variation in work activities and occupational structures. Manufacturing and sales, for example, make up a large part of private industry work activities, but are rare in state and local government. White-collar occupations (largely professional occupations including teachers) account for two-thirds of the state and local government workforce, compared with one-half of private industry. A detailed examination of differences in compensation levels between private industry and state and local government may be found in "Cost of Employee Compensation in Public and Private Sectors," Monthly Labor Review, May 1993. Obtaining information Articles, bulletins, and other information may be obtained by calling (202) 606-6199, sending an e-mail message to ocltinfo@bls.gov, or visiting the Employment Cost Trends site at http://stats.bls.gov/ecthome.htm.