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December, 1988, Vol. 111, No. 12

Comparing employee benefits in the public and private sectors

William J. Wiatrowski

While employee benefits are an important part of the compensation package for all workers, the characteristics of the benefit programs vary considerably between the private and public sectors. Differing employer and employee needs affect the types and characteristics of benefits received.

This article compares the incidence and administration of employee benefits for full-time employees in the private and public sectors, and examines the characteristics of work schedules and paid leave plans. Accompanying articles appearing in this issue of the Review compare other private and public sector benefits—employer-sponsored health and life insurance and disability benefits, and defined benefit pension plans and defined contribution plans (such as savings and thrift, profit-sharing, and stock ownership plans). Taken together, these articles represent a current, comprehensive look at benefits provided to employees in medium and large firms in private industry and in State and local governments.

This excerpt is from an article published in the December 1988 issue of the Monthly Labor Review. The full text of the article is available in Adobe Acrobat's Portable Document Format (PDF). See How to view a PDF file for more information.

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