WASHINGTON, DC /July 26, 2011 — Domestic partner benefits will be included in this year’s annual release of “Employee Benefits in the United States — March 2011”, to be released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on July 26, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. EDT. This marks the first time the National Compensation Survey (NCS) has produced data on employer-provided benefits available to unmarried domestic partners. The new data indicate the proportion of employees in defined benefit plans that allow domestic partners to obtain survivor benefits and those that allow domestic partners to receive dependent health coverage.
Data will be provided for civilian workers, private industry, and State and local government. For each of these three ownership groups, BLS will publish access rates for same sex and opposite sex domestic partners by various worker characteristics, establishment characteristics, and geographic areas. Worker characteristics include occupational groups, full- and part-time status, bargaining status, and wage categories. Establishment characteristics include industry groups and establishment sizes. Geographic areas include the nine census divisions.
In addition to these new data, the report will update data published in previous years such as access, participation, and take-up rates for retirement benefits, medical care benefits, life insurance, and paid leave benefits (sick leave, vacation, and personal leave); as well as share of premium paid by employer and employee for medical plans by single and family coverage. In early fall 2011 more information will be published on the incidence and provisions of health care benefits, retirement benefits, life insurance, short-term and long-term disability benefits, paid holidays and vacations, and other selected benefits.
ABOUT THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor is the principal Federal agency responsible for measuring labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy. Its mission is to collect, analyze, and disseminate essential economic information to support public and private decision-making. As an independent statistical agency, BLS serves its diverse user communities by providing products and services that are objective, timely, accurate, and relevant.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL COMPENSATION SURVEY
The National Compensation Survey is an on-going comprehensive employer-based survey of approximately 14,600 establishments conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. NCS is an umbrella program that produces data on several topics including benefits, wages, and compensation cost trends. One of its outputs—the Employment Cost Index (ECI) — is a principal federal economic indicator. The ECI measures the percent change in the cost of wages and benefits. Another output is the Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (ECEC). The ECEC provides costs for wages and individual benefits on a cost per hour worked basis. In addition to the reports and websites mentioned in this release, the Compensation and Working Conditions Online Journal contains many short articles on various compensation topics including retirement and health benefits.
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