WAGE AND BENEFIT SURVEY

2006 Wage & Benefits Survey

The Wage & Benefit Survey is a thorough analysis of the wages and benefits offered by major employers in the Tyler/Smith County area. The publication is a joint project between the Tyler Economic Development Council and Dr. Marilyn Young, Professor of Management at The University of Texas at Tyler and is produced every 3 years in the Fall. The latest survey was completed in 2006 and is the fourth edition. You can download our latest wage and benefit survey by clicking the "download pdf" button at the bottom of this page. The report is only available only in PDF format. A link has been provided that will allow you to install or upgrade the latest FREE Adobe Actobat Reader.

INTRODUCTION

The objective of this Wage and Benefit Survey was to describe the level and distribution of pay and the nature of employee benefits within the Tyler labor market. The survey results provide information for wage and salary administration, collective bargaining, and assistance in business location decisions. Information requested from the survey came from two major segments in the Tyler area: (1) manufacturing sector and (2) service sector. The manufacturing sector includes industrial producers, distributors, and processors. The service sector included such organizations as government, financial, insurance, real estate, medical, and educational.

The questionnaire requested information regarding employee benefits, such as holidays, vacation, sick leave, insurance, and retirement plans. Also, hourly rates, overtime, wage-level adjustments, bonuses, training programs, and seasonal hiring programs were analyzed. The cover letter and questionnaires for both manufacturing and service sectors are attached in Appendix A.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Size of Company
The size of the organizations surveyed ranged from 3 to 4,272 employees.

Tenure of Employees
Tyler employers (service and manufacturing) indicated their employees had been with the company on an average from 1 to 30 years with an average of 6 years.

Job Applications
Approximately 51% of all employers indicated they normally advertised for job openings and received an average of 20 responses per job. The number of job applications companies had on file ranged from 0 to 3,500 with a median of 294 applications. Employers retained the applications an average of 9.5 months.

Holidays, Vacation, and Time Off
A wide majority, 89%, of all companies indicated they provide paid vacation for employees, and 41% provided pay in lieu of vacation. Employees were given a median of 5 vacation days after working one year; 10 days after 3 and 5 years; and 15 days after working 10 years. Also, 92% of the employers indicated they had paid holidays; 21%, holiday premium pay; 25%, floating holidays; and 14%, unpaid holidays. The median number of holidays provided was 7 days. Other types of time off included: Paid jury duty, 63%; time off to vote, 24%; time off as a witness, 27%; and personal paid time off, 27%.

Insurance
A large majority, 80% of the manufacturing sector and 100% of the service sector, offered health insurance to employees. Also, a wide majority offered insurance to employee dependents. A total of 56% of the manufacturers and 92% of the service sector offered dental insurance to employees. Only 26% of manufacturers and 77% of service sector offered vision/eyewear insurance. A large portion of manufacturers (72%) and service sector (85%) provided life insurance, while 52% and 92% provided disability insurance, respectively. Many of these insurance benefits were offered to dependents, and the amount paid by Tyler employers varied significantly as to whether the costs were paid by the company, employee, or shared. Some 72% of manufacturers and 77% of the service sector had workers’ compensation. In addition, 20% of manufacturers and 23% of the service sector had a self-insured option.

Retirement
A majority of the total employers sampled, 75%, had some type of retirement plan. Furthermore, 55% indicated they matched the employees’ contribution. The median employer contribution was 3%. The major type of retirement plan was the defined contribution, e.g., IRA and 401k plans.

Approximately 33% of Tyler employers provided tuition aid to the employees. In addition, 16% of the employers had profit sharing as an option, and 13% had a savings and thrift plan.

Value of Benefit Package
The average (median) estimate of the employee benefit package per employee was $4,833 per employee. Employers estimated the value of the benefit package as a percentage of wages with a median value of the benefit package at 25%.

Seasonal Hiring Patterns
Approximately 28% of all companies indicated they had a seasonal hiring pattern.

Salary Increases
The majority of both sectors reported they had some type of wage-level adjustments. A majority, 78%, reported they based their salary increases on merit. Also, 56% indicated they had annual adjustments in salary increases.

Bonuses and Incentives
The major type of bonus given was premium pay for overtime which was provided by 65% of the employers.

Hourly Wages
Hourly wages are shown in Tables 15 through 18. The earnings for manufacturing and service sectors were calculated using both weighted and unweighted averages with the median and range for each of the occupational classifications.

SPONSORSHIP

If you are interested in sponsoring the Wage & Benefit Survey in 2009, please contact Chris Wynn at (903) 593-2004 ext. 254

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