Businesses Expand Employee Benefits to Retain Hiring Edge on Granted.com
Pasadena, CA (PRWEB) July 25, 2013 -- Employer-provided health coverage continues to be one of the primary ways that Americans access health care, according to a recent survey released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employer-provided health care was available to 85 percent of full-time U.S. workers, while only 24 percent had health care coverage. The survey’s findings reflected current hiring trends on Granted.com, where employee benefits continue to be one of the main ways that businesses compete for and attract talent.
Based on a recent survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 85 percent of full-time workers received health coverage through work. A comparatively smaller pool of part-time workers, 24 percent, received health benefits through their employers. By and large, medium and larger-sized businesses were more likely to offer health coverage than smaller employers: 57 percent of employees in small businesses (less than 100 employees) received health benefits, compared to 85 percent of employees in medium or large-sized businesses who received coverage. With implementation of the employer mandate provisions of Obamacare in the works, a greater percentage of Americans will soon have access to health coverage. One surprising finding of the survey was that private sector employers were less likely to offer retirement benefits than their government or public sector counterparts: 64 percent of private sector workers had access to retirement benefits, compared to 89 percent of government employees.
Employee benefits continue to be one of the biggest attractions of full-time employment. Many of the largest and most well-known companies in the world are known just as much for their employee benefits as they are for their products and work culture. High tech companies in the Silicon Valley have a particular reputation for over-the-top employee perks,and access to on-site gyms, childcare facilities,and gourmet pastry chefs that have become a standard part of everyday work life.
Increasingly, workers are putting greater importance on not merely the work they do or the salary they receive, but their employer’s ability to provide work-life balance and care for their families. The best employers know that caring for employees’ homes and families is important not only for keeping morale high, but for retaining talent. These companies are offering highly competitive health care and benefits packages, generous maternity or paternity leave, discounted gym memberships, and other perks – all in an effort to attract and retain the best workers.
On Granted.com, a leading job site, the vast majority of the full-time jobs listed include employer-provided health care. Other employee benefits included profit-sharing, retirement benefits, and paid sick leave. In line with the BLS survey findings, medium and larger-sized businesses tended to offer more comprehensive benefits than smaller businesses, simply because they have resources at their disposal. This remains one of the biggest obstacles that smaller employers face in competing with larger companies for the same limited pool of talent.
Provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act were designed to increase access to health care by putting the burden on employers. Starting in January 2015, companies with over 50 employees will be required to provide health coverage. Commentators have predicted job growth in the health industry as the number of insured Americans swells. Because most companies do not provide health coverage to part-time or contract employees, access to health care continues to be one of the main attractions of full-time employment. Coffee giant Starbucks is known for being one of the few companies to offer health care benefits for part-time workers.
About Granted
Granted.com is a job search site based in Pasadena, CA. It is a part of the Employment Research Institute and owned by A. Harrison Barnes.
Andrew Ostler, Granted.com, http://www.granted.com/, +1 (626) 243-1800, [email protected]
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