Survey: Workers Rank Health Insurance as Most Prized Benefit

August 23, 2007 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - More workers ranked health insurance as the most valuable employee benefit than retirement savings plans and paid time off, a recent survey by SnagAJob.com found.

Sixty-one percent of workers surveyed said health insurance was their most valuable benefit, followed by a retirement savings plan (19%), and paid time off (11%). Health care also was cited as the single most important issue facing the country (21%).

Workers indicated they worried most about large future expenses, such as retirement and children’s education, with 44% of survey respondents ranking future expenses as their primary concern. Health concerns and family issues, including how they will be cared for, tied for second at 17% each.

The survey also gauged employee job satisfaction and found more than 60% of workers are very happy with their positions.

Workers living in the Western region of the U.S. reported the greatest amount of job satisfaction at 67%, compared to 64% in the Midwest, 59% in the South, and 52% in the Northeast.

Married workers are more satisfied with their jobs (64%) than non-married workers (54%), according to survey results.

More than half of all hourly workers (56%) said they consider their job as their full-time career, especially men (62%). As a whole, two in five hourly workers (39%) reported having a household income of $50,000 or more.

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