Question: What types of benefit data are published by the Employee Benefits Survey (EBS)?

Answer: The Bureau of Labor Statistics' Employee Benefits Survey is an annual survey of the incidence and provisions of selected benefits provided by employers to their employees. The survey collects data from a sample of approximately 6,000 private sector and state and local government establishments. The data are presented as a percentage of employees who participate in a certain benefit, or as an average benefit provision (for example, the average number of paid holidays provided to employees per year).

The survey collects incidence and provisions of the following benefit areas: Paid holidays, paid vacations, paid personal leave, paid funeral leave, paid military leave, paid jury-duty leave, paid and unpaid family leave, paid sick leave, short-term disability insurance, long-term disability insurance, medical care, dental care, vision care, life insurance, defined benefit pension plans, defined contribution plans, flexible benefits plans, and reimbursement accounts.

Data are also collected on the incidence of the following additional benefits: Severance pay, supplemental unemployment benefits, travel accident insurance, nonproduction cash bonuses, child care, adoption assistance, long-term care insurance, subsidized commuting, flexible work place, wellness programs, fitness center benefits, job-related and non-job-related educational assistance, and employee assistance programs.