Access to end-of-year and holiday bonuses for private industry workers in 2019

Some employers offer end-of-year or holiday bonuses this time of year. Eleven percent of private industry workers had access to end-of-year bonuses in 2019, and 6 percent had access to holiday bonuses. Among natural resources, construction, and maintenance workers, 15 percent had access to end-of-year bonuses, while 12 percent had access to holiday bonuses. Seven percent of workers in service occupations had access to end-of-year bonuses and 6 percent to holiday bonuses.

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Chart Data Percent of private industry workers with access to end-of-year and holiday bonuses, by occupation, March 2019 Occupation End-of-year bonus Holiday bonus All workers 11% 6% Natural resources, construction, and maintenance 15 12 Management, professional, and related 15 5 Sales and office 11 7 Production, transportation, and material moving 9 6 Service 7 6

In March 2019, the average employer cost for nonproduction bonuses was $0.73 per hour worked in private industry.

These data are from the National Compensation Survey — Benefits and Employment Cost Trends programs. For more information, see Employee Benefits in the United States, March 2019 and "Employer Costs for Employee Compensation — March 2019." End-of-year and holiday bonuses are nonproduction bonuses, payments to employees that are not directly related to individual productivity. End-of-year bonuses are payments to employees near the end of the year to show appreciation for working hard throughout the year. Holiday bonuses are payments to employees made on a holiday to show appreciation; the payment usually is a token gesture, with all employees receiving the same amount. A full list of nonproduction bonuses is in the National Compensation Survey Glossary of Employee Benefit Terms.