January 21, 1999 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Paid vacation most frequently offered time-off benefit

In 1997, vacations were the most frequently granted time-off benefit for full-time employees in medium and large private establishments. Fully 95 percent of such employees received paid time off for vacations, and 89 percent received paid holidays.

Percent of employees participating in select time-off benefits, 1997
[Chart data—TXT]

Paid vacation days increase with length of service. The average number of paid vacation days varies from 9.6 after 1 year of service to 21.7 after 30 years of service. Full-time employees in larger establishments average 9.3 paid holidays per year.

Unpaid family leave covered 93 percent of full-time employees in medium and large establishments, reflecting the continued implementation of the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act. Paid funeral and jury-duty leave also are frequently available to full-time employees.

Data on paid leave and other employee benefits are available from the BLS Employee Benefits Survey. For additional information, see news release USDL 99-02, "Employee Benefits in Medium and Large Private Establishments, 1997."