Liz is away, but sent me a link to a report on employer costs since 1991 by GAO. This report looks at the comparison of employment costs for wages and salaries and for benefits. A picture is worth a thousand words, they say. The report states that benefits growth was even larger for union workers and lower for part-time workers. Real health benefit costs rose 27% over the period (real in this case meaning greater than the rate of inflation) and represents $1.59 per hour for the average worker.

As Daniel Weintraub notes, employer-provided health care is keeping down money wages.

Categories: economics