Planning to Retire

Employers Spend More on Retirement than Health Benefits

By Emily Brandon

Posted: December 8, 2008

U.S. employers spent nearly $8 trillion compensating workers in 2007. The majority, $6.4 trillion or 81 percent, went to pay wages and salaries. Benefits accounted for $1.5 trillion, according to a recent Employee Benefit Research Institute study.

Retirement benefits are employer’s largest benefits expenditures, accounting for 48 percent of the total spending for benefits. Companies spent 693.9 billion on employee retirement in 2007, up from 458.8 billion in 2000. Health benefits cost employers 623.1 billion in 2007 and made up 43 percent of benefit spending. All other benefits including unemployment insurance, life insurance, and workers’ compensation amounted to $138 billion.

Retirees gave employers that money to spend

It stayed in the employer's coffers instead of being paid to the then employees that make and made the employer the money to be, stay and prosper in business. Take a moment to think. That money was supposed to go into a fund to earn interest for the express purpose of being available for the retirees. It was not supposed to be siphoned off by the employers. Employers are not the government that has historically robbed the social security trust fund that is now in danger of running out in the future.

Retirees are sum and parcel only drawing on their own earned account.

HillbillyBill of TN @ Dec 09, 2008 07:06:38 AM

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Planning to Retire

Planning to Retire

Reporter Emily Brandon tells you how to get ready financially for retirement and to make your golden years the best they can be.

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