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Employer health benefits costs rise 3.0 percent in year ending December 2013

February 05, 2014

Employer costs for health benefits in private industry increased 3.0 percent from December 2012 to December 2013. In the prior year, the increase was 2.1 percent. The 12‑month increases in employer costs for health insurance for private industry workers ranged from 2.1 to 3.0 percent in 2012 and 2013. That compares with increases that ranged from 3.4 to 11.4 percent from 2001 to 2011.

12-month percent change in employer costs per hour worked for wages and salaries and benefits, March 2001–December 2013

 

12-month percent change in employer costs per hour worked for wages and salaries and benefits, March 2001–December 2013
MonthTotal compensationWages and salariesAll benefitsHealth benefits

March 2001

4.23.85.28.1

June 2001

4.03.64.98.6

September 2001

4.03.54.98.7

December 2001

4.13.85.29.2

March 2002

3.83.54.410.5

June 2002

4.03.64.811.4

September 2002

3.53.14.311.2

December 2002

3.12.64.210.2

March 2003

3.62.95.79.8

June 2003

3.52.65.810.3

September 2003

3.93.06.310.1

December 2003

4.03.16.510.5

March 2004

3.82.66.89.3

June 2004

3.92.77.38.1

September 2004

3.82.66.77.3

December 2004

3.82.66.77.3

March 2005

3.52.75.57.5

June 2005

3.12.54.76.3

September 2005

2.92.34.56.7

December 2005

2.92.54.06.4

March 2006

2.62.43.04.8

June 2006

2.82.82.75.2

September 2006

3.03.02.84.9

December 2006

3.23.23.14.9

March 2007

3.23.62.24.9

June 2007

3.13.32.64.8

September 2007

3.13.42.44.8

December 2007

3.03.32.44.8

March 2008

3.23.23.24.6

June 2008

3.03.12.64.2

September 2008

2.82.92.43.9

December 2008

2.42.62.03.5

March 2009

1.92.01.64.6

June 2009

1.51.61.34.4

September 2009

1.21.41.14.6

December 2009

1.21.30.94.3

March 2010

1.61.52.04.5

June 2010

1.91.62.45.0

September 2010

2.01.62.84.8

December 2010

2.11.82.95.0

March 2011

2.01.63.03.4

June 2011

2.31.74.03.6

September 2011

2.11.73.33.4

December 2011

2.21.63.63.5

March 2012

2.11.92.83.0

June 2012

1.81.81.92.4

September 2012

1.91.82.22.3

December 2012

1.81.72.02.1

March 2013

1.91.72.03.0

June 2013

1.91.91.92.6

September 2013

1.91.82.02.7

December 2013

2.02.11.93.0

 

The increase in employer costs for all benefits was 1.9 percent for the 12-month period ending December 2013, essentially unchanged from the December 2012 increase of 2.0 percent. While changes in total benefit costs are not as volatile as health benefits costs, increases and decreases tend to follow the same pattern.

Wages and salaries increased 2.1 percent for the year ending in December 2013. In December 2012 the increase was 1.7 percent.

Overall compensation costs for private industry workers increased 2.0 percent from December 2012 to December 2013. In the prior year the increase was 1.8 percent.

These data are from the Employment Cost Trends program. To learn more, see "Employment Cost Index — December 2013" (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL‑14‑0128. Information about trends in employer costs for health insurance are published in Employment Cost Index Health Benefits.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Employer health benefits costs rise 3.0 percent in year ending December 2013 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2014/ted_20140205.htm (visited December 08, 2024).

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