WASHINGTON – New England employers spent an average of $33.29 per hour on wages, salaries and benefits for nonfarm private workers, and state and local government employees in June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.
The region’s total labor cost was the highest of the country’s nine regions, the agency said. The lowest total compensation cost was in the East South Central division at $20.76 an hour. The national average was $27.42 an hour, with $19.39 spent on wages and salaries and $8.02 on benefits.
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The $33.29-per-hour figure for New England workers includes $22.80 spent on wages and salaries and $10.48 on benefits, including Social Security, health insurance and paid vacation.
The most expensive benefit was health insurance, which cost New England employers $2.28 an hour, followed by Social Security contributions ($1.54 an hour); paid vacation ($1.25); and retirement and other savings plans ($1.14).
The less costly benefits were supplemental pay for different shifts (6 cents an hour); long-term disability insurance and life insurance contributions (5 cents each); and federal unemployment insurance contributions (3 cents).
