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Access to end-of-year and holiday bonuses for private industry workers in 2019

December 30, 2019

Some employers offer end-of-year or holiday bonuses this time of year. Eleven percent of private industry workers had access to end-of-year bonuses in 2019, and 6 percent had access to holiday bonuses. Among natural resources, construction, and maintenance workers, 15 percent had access to end-of-year bonuses, while 12 percent had access to holiday bonuses. Seven percent of workers in service occupations had access to end-of-year bonuses and 6 percent to holiday bonuses.

Percent of private industry workers with access to end-of-year and holiday bonuses, by occupation, March 2019
Occupation End-of-year bonus Holiday bonus

All workers

11% 6%

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

15 12

Management, professional, and related

15 5

Sales and office

11 7

Production, transportation, and material moving

9 6

Service

7 6

In March 2019, the average employer cost for nonproduction bonuses was $0.73 per hour worked in private industry.

These data are from the National Compensation Survey — Benefits and Employment Cost Trends programs. For more information, see Employee Benefits in the United States, March 2019 and "Employer Costs for Employee Compensation — March 2019." End-of-year and holiday bonuses are nonproduction bonuses, payments to employees that are not directly related to individual productivity. End-of-year bonuses are payments to employees near the end of the year to show appreciation for working hard throughout the year. Holiday bonuses are payments to employees made on a holiday to show appreciation; the payment usually is a token gesture, with all employees receiving the same amount. A full list of nonproduction bonuses is in the National Compensation Survey Glossary of Employee Benefit Terms.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Access to end-of-year and holiday bonuses for private industry workers in 2019 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2019/access-to-end-of-year-and-holiday-bonuses-for-private-industry-workers-in-2019.htm (visited March 29, 2024).

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