LABOR COSTS & WORKFORCE PLANNING · SEPTEMBER 27, 2026
Employee-Benefit Access Highlights Workforce Cost and Retention Tradeoffs
BLS reported that 72% of private-industry workers had access to retirement benefits and 71% had access to medical plans in March 2026, alongside broad access to paid leave.
What BLS released on September 25
Source publication date: September 25, 2026. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 72% of private-industry workers had access to retirement benefits in March 2026 and 52% participated. Defined-contribution plans were available to 70% and defined-benefit plans to 14%. The estimates describe access and participation across covered workers, not the cost or plan design of a particular employer.
- 0171% had medical-plan access
- 0280% had paid vacation
- 0381% had paid sick leave
Medical and paid-leave access were also widespread
BLS reported that 71% of private-industry workers had access to medical-care plans and 46% participated. Paid vacation was available to 80%, paid holidays to 81%, paid sick leave to 81%, paid family and medical leave to 49%, and paid personal leave to 51%. Access differs from participation, and employer cost depends on eligibility, take-up, contribution structure, workforce mix, claims, and plan terms.
Work status and industry can change the benchmark
Among private-industry workers, 87% of full-time workers had access to medical care compared with 23% of part-time workers. Paid-sick-leave access ranged from 58% in leisure and hospitality to 98% in information and in finance and insurance. A lender will usually focus on the applicant's current payroll, benefit invoices, accruals, hiring timetable, and retention risk rather than assume an industry percentage is the correct company budget.
Practical borrower takeaway
Build a headcount schedule by role, start date, full- or part-time status, wage, payroll tax, insurance, retirement contribution, leave, bonus, recruiting, training, and other benefit cost. Reconcile it to payroll and current carrier or administrator invoices, then test enrollment and premium increases. If financing supports expansion, show when new employees become productive and how cash flow covers compensation during the ramp period.
Borrowers should convert benefit design into a documented per-employee cost, enrollment assumption, hiring plan, and downside cash requirement rather than benchmarking from headline access rates alone.
Discuss a financing need →This independent summary is based on the cited source and is provided for general educational purposes only. Terms and program requirements may change.