Paid leave benefit costs in private industry
Employer costs for paid leave benefits were highest for management, professional, and related occupations, $3.29 per hour, or 7.9 percent of total compensation. Costs were lowest among service occupations, 49 cents or 4.1 percent of total compensation. Included in this amount were employer costs for vacations, holidays, sick leave, and other leave, such as personal leave, jury duty leave, military leave, and funeral leave.Employer costs for paid leave benefits averaged $2.23 per hour for union workers, significantly higher than the $1.45 per hour average for nonunion workers.
Paid leave costs in goods-producing industries were $1.70 per hour (6.1 percent of total compensation), compared with $1.49 (6.5 percent of total compensation) for service-providing industries in December 2004.
Among the nine census divisions, paid leave costs ranged from $1.18 in the East South Central division to $1.93 in the Middle Atlantic division.
Paid leave 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 $1.06 per hour (5.3 percent) ; and those with 100 workers or more averaged $2.10 per hour (7.3 percent).