July 26, 1999 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Compensation highest in biggest establishments

In March 1999, workers in the largest establishments in private industry received by far the highest compensation per hour. Compensation of employees in establishments with 500 or more workers averaged $26.37 per hour, compared to $18.14 in establishments with 100 to 499 workers and $16.27 in establishments with fewer than 100 workers.

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Employees in the largest establishments were paid $18.37 per hour in wages and salaries. This was almost 40 percent more than the average wage of $13.17 for workers in medium-sized establishments and nearly 50 percent more than the $12.29 average for workers in the smallest.

Benefits received by employees in the biggest workplaces also outstripped those of other employees. In establishments with 500 or more workers, benefits averaged $8.00 per hour; this was more than 60 percent higher than the $4.97 average received by employees in establishments with 100 to 499 workers and about twice as high as the $3.98 average in establishments with fewer than 100.

These data are a product of the BLS Employment Cost Trends program. Additional information is available from "Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, March 1999," news release USDL 99-173.