Healthy workers are often more productive. And employers are taking notice: An increasing number of them now offer benefits that encourage healthier lifestyles.

As the chart shows, the percentage of workers in private industry who have access to health-promotion benefits rose between 1999 and 2006. The most widely offered of these benefits were employee assistance programs, which help workers deal with personal problems such as substance abuse and financial and legal troubles. Also common were wellness programs, including nutrition education, stress-reduction assistance, and smoking-cessation classes. Access to onsite fitness centers or help with fitness center fees were less common, but these benefits also grew.

These data are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) National Compensation Survey. For more information, call (202) 691-6199 or visit online at www.bls.gov/ncs.

Throughout the years, BLS has expanded its surveys to measure changing trends. When the OOQ first appeared in the 1950s, ongoing BLS surveys didn’t measure benefits. Comprehensive surveys of health insurance and other benefits began in 1979. And by 1999, BLS data on health-promotion benefits included the categories shown on the chart.

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