Bigger Companies = More Benefits for Workers, Survey Finds

By Roger Nielsen

Larger manufacturers are more optimistic about adding workers, and they give those employees better and bigger benefits than do other, smaller companies.

That’s the finding from a survey of manufacturers in an 11-county area around Athens. The survey was conducted by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia.

“The Report of the Wage and Benefit Survey of Manufacturers in Eleven Northeast Georgia Counties” provides information about 113 nonexempt (overtime-eligible) job categories, including wage information, employees’ access to childcare and the extent of wellness programs and educational assistance available for workers.

The study analyzes survey results from 72 employers in Barrow, Clarke, Elbert, Greene, Hall, Jackson, Madison, Morgan, Oconee, Oglethorpe and Walton counties.

The larger the manufacturer, the more they are generally optimistic about increased employment over the next six months, the study showed. Large manufacturers—companies that employ 75 or more people—also are more likely than smaller firms to have noticed increases in the number of candidates applying for positions in the past six months.

Nearly all large companies and medium-size manufacturers (those with 15-74 workers) currently offer health insurance to employees; however, a minority of small companies, those with 14 or fewer employees, provides health benefits.

The prevalence of other benefits also increases with the size of the manufacturer. For example, almost all large and medium-size manufacturers offer retirement plans while most small manufacturers do not.

Bigger companies are more likely to offer paid sick leave. A large majority of manufacturers of all sizes provide employees with paid vacation.

“The report on the survey results, in addition to giving manufacturers timely insights into their local area’s labor market, provides useful information to local governments, development authorities, chambers of commerce and others concerned with economic development,” said Rob Gordon, manager of the Institute of Government Economic Development and Fiscal Analysis Unit. “As communities work to attract quality manufacturing jobs, they will have a better understanding of the dynamics of the region’s job market.”

If you want to see the full report, you’ll have to pay for it. You can buy it by clicking here.