South Dakota Survey Shows Snapshot of Benefits Offered by Employers

A recent survey released by the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation provides a glimpse at the employee benefits being offered to workers by the state’s employers.

The Labor Market Information Center on Jan. 10 published on the DLR website the results of an employer survey that was conducted over last few months of 2018. Surveys were sent to 1,924 private employers of various sizes in the state. The DLR received 964 responses to the survey representing a 50 percent response rate.

The survey queried employers on commonly offered benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, retirement plans, several types of paid leave, and other miscellaneous benefits.

“Survey results help provide insight into what benefits are being offered in South Dakota, along with an estimate of the costs employers face to offer certain benefits,” South Dakota Labor and Regulation Secretary Marcia Hultman said in the department’s announcement.

Highlights from the Employee Benefits Survey include:

• 12 is the average number of days of paid vacation leave provided to employees by firms employing full-time workers.
• 29.7 percent of employers pay more than $600 per month per employee to provide single medical insurance coverage for workers.
• 55 percent of firms employing full-time workers offer an employee medical insurance policy.
• 54 percent of firms employing full-time workers offer a retirement plan.