Employee and employer premiums for medical care benefits in 2017
April 2 is National Employee Benefits Day. Medical care coverage is typically one of the most expensive benefits for employers to provide. It’s not cheap for employees either. The median monthly premium paid by employees of small (1 to 49 workers) private establishments for single coverage was $127.75 in 2017. That compares with $100.00 for single coverage in small state and local government organizations.
The share of Blacks in the labor force is increasing
The share of Blacks in the total labor force has been on the rise since 1972, when data on Blacks were first collected. In that year, there were 8.7 million Blacks (about 10 percent) out of a total of 87 million people in the U.S. labor force. By 2016, Blacks made up 19.6 million (or 12 percent) from a total of 159.2 million people in the labor force. BLS projects the Black labor force will reach 21.6 million (12.7 percent) from a total of 169.7 by 2026.
Black women are projected to have a larger share of the Black labor force than Black men in 2026
In 1972, Black men made up 55.3 percent of the Black labor force, and Black women made up 44.7 percent. In the last four decades, the share of Black men in the labor force has declined, while the share of Black women has increased. In 1988, both men and women made up an equal share of the Black labor force. From 1989 to 2000, the share of Black women increased to 53 percent and the share of Black men declined to 47 percent.
The rates for both women and men have stabilized since then. BLS projects these rates to be relatively flat in the 2016–26 decade.
Information provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.