BENEFITS BENCHMARKING RESOURCE LIST

Sources of Benefits Benchmarking Data

This resource list is APQC’s guide to current, high-quality content on employee benefits
benchmarking data. Hyperlinks have been included for reference.

Aon Hewitt. 2016 Health Care Survey.

Source description:

 A total of 804 individuals participated in the Aon Hewitt 2016 Health Care Survey from
December 2015 to February 2016. They were asked to answer questions about their U.S.
health care benefits. About one-third (34%) of the responding organizations have operations
outside the United States.
 Report is available to download online at no cost.

Bureau of Labor Statistics. National Compensation Survey−Benefits. (Beginning with 2010 data.)

Source description:

 Provides data on the incidence (the percentage of workers with access to and participation
in employer provided benefit plans) and provisions of selected employee benefit plans.
 Can pull online queries of databases, tables, and calculators by subject. Can also download
flat files of the database or of subsets of the database.

Economic Research Institute. 2017 Benefits Benchmarking Survey.

Source Description:

 Tenth annual benchmarking survey published by ERI Salary Surveys. Analyzes benefit
information by sector, industry, region, and organization size. The survey was revised for
2017 to include paid leave, retirement, life and disability insurance, and executive
perquisites in addition to health care benefits such as medical, prescription drugs, dental,
and vision.
 Benefits data effective January 1, 2017 was provided by 71 respondents representing over
107,000 employees. Data for 70 medical plans and 69 dental plans in the United States was
collected.
 The report provides a baseline for employers wishing to benchmark the costs of their health
plans and other benefits practices with other employers. It provides current data that may

Page 1 of 6
K08141 ©2017 APQC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
 be used to identify trends in costs for health care coverage and other benefits so that
informed decisions may be made for effective benefits management.
 Contact information is provided to order the survey. Organizations can sign up online survey
participation alerts. The survey participation period is October through March.

Employee Benefit Research Institute (ERBI). ERBI Databook on Employee Benefits. February
2013.

Source description:

 Publishes retirement research, healthcare research, and 401K data.

 The EBRI Databook on Employee Benefits includes data from dozens of sources to provide
an analysis of how the employee benefits system works, who and what its various functions
affect, and its relationship with the U.S. economy. The Databook includes over 400 tables
and charts presenting vital statistics on the employee benefit system.
o Topics include the retirement income system; employer-sponsored benefit plans;
government programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid; health
insurance; and labor force and demographic trends.
o The EBRI Databook on Employee Benefits is maintained on-line and updated when new
data is available.
o Individual chapters can be downloaded online at no cost.

Healthcare Trends Institute. Benchmark Study: 2016 Healthcare Benefits Trends.

Source description:

 The Healthcare Trends Institute, an educational platform focused on the rapidly changing
healthcare benefits industry, conducted its annual employer healthcare benefits study from
June through December 2015.
 The national survey went to more than 250 human resources (HR) executives, benefit
specialists and other benefit decision-makers from organizations ranging in employee size
from less than 50 to over 2,500.
 Available to download online at no cost.

Page 2 of 6
K08141 ©2017 APQC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
 Kaiser Family Foundation. 2016 Employer Health Benefits Survey.

Source description:

 Annual survey of employers which provides a look at trends in employer-sponsored health

coverage including premiums, employee contributions, cost-sharing provisions, and
employer opinions.
 The 2016 survey included more than 1,900 interviews with non-federal public and private
firms.
 Available for download online at no cost.

Korn Ferry Hay Group. Benchmark Strategic Rewards Programs.

Source description:

 Global databases for organizations to benchmark pay and benefit plans against specific peer
groups as well as general market data.
 Databases are comprised of employee reward information representing more than seven
million employees from nearly 13,000 organizations in 60 countries worldwide.

International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP). Employee Benefits Survey 2016
Results.

Source description:

 Employee Benefits Survey 2016 is the fifth benefits benchmarking survey, containing data
for three employment sectors (corporations, public employers and multiemployer plans).
 Topics include: Pension and retirement plans, health and dental benefits, transgender-
inclusive health benefits, prescription drugs, parental leave, paid holidays, vacation and
paid-time-off, disability benefits and sick leave, work/life benefits, and executive
perquisites.
 Cost is free to members and $125 for non-members.

Mercer. 2015 National Survey Employer-Sponsored Health Plans.

Source description:

 Survey is statistically representative of all U.S. health plan sponsors with 10 or more
employees; provides health plan benchmark data for employer groups based on industry,
size and location.
 Cost is $1,200 for survey and tables and $600 for the report.

Page 3 of 6
K08141 ©2017 APQC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
 Sibson Consulting. 2017 Health Plan Cost Trend Survey.

Source description:

 The Trend Survey is the 20th annual survey of managed care organizations (MCOs), health
insurers, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and third-party administrators (TPAs)
conducted by The Segal Group of which Sibson Consulting is a member.
 PDF is available for download online at no cost.

The Society for Human resource Management (SHRM). 2017 Employee Benefits Research
Report.

Source description:

 In January and February 2017, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
conducted its annual survey of U.S. employers to gather information on more than 300
employee benefits. The survey asked human resource professionals if their organizations
formally offered any of the listed benefits to their employees.
 The report examines the prevalence of benefits over the past five years to track trends and
understand the benefits landscape in the current talent marketplace.
 Organizations can use the data in this report to help inform their benefits strategy. In
addition to a discussion of the key findings, tables listing the prevalence of benefits over the
past five years are included in the appendix.
 Report is available online for download at no charge.

T. Rowe Price. Reference Point. 2016.

Source description:

 Reference Point is an annual benchmarking report that provides trend analysis and expert
commentary that organizations can use to take advantage of emerging best practices and
improve plan effectiveness.
 Data are based on the large-market, full-service universe—TRP Total—of T. Rowe Price
Retirement Plan Services, Inc., retirement plans (401(k) and 457 plans), consisting of 642
plans and over 1.6 million participants.
 Report is available online for download at no charge.

Page 4 of 6
K08141 ©2017 APQC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
 Wells Fargo. 2016 Benefit Analytics and Benchmarking Study. Oct. 2016.

Source description:

 The objective of the study was to compare benefit plan costs and features across companies
of similar size, geography, and industry.
 The information was collected among a geographically and industrially diverse population of
employers, including more than 1,000 total respondents across 45 states, representing
about 1.9 million employees.
 Report is available online for download at no charge.

Willis Towers Watson.

Source Description:

 Towers Watson/NBGH Employer Survey on Purchasing Value in Health care. March 2014.
o The 19th Annual Towers Watson/National Business Group on Health Employer Survey
on Purchasing Value in Health Care tracks employers’ strategies and practices, and the
results of their efforts to provide and manage health benefits for their workforce.
o The report identifies the actions of high-performing companies, as well as current trends
in the health care benefit programs of U.S. employers with at least 1,000 employees.
o The survey was completed by 595 employers between November 2013 and January
2014. Respondents collectively employ 11.3 million full-time employees, have 7.8
million employees enrolled in their health care programs and represent all major
industry sectors.
o Report is available online for download at no charge.

 Global Benefits Attitudes Survey 2015/2016

o For over a decade Willis Towers Watson has surveyed employees about health and
retirement.
o The survey was fielded in 19 countries from June to August 2015 and is the second
globally consistent survey.
o Report is available online for download at no charge.

WorldatWork. Total rewards and Employee Well-Being. Feb. 2012.

Source description:

 This report summarizes the results of an October 2011 survey of WorldatWork members
(N=479) to gather information about current trends in well-being practices. The focus of the
research is to construct a well-being research project regarding comprehensive employee
wellness programs and the benefits to practitioners.
 Report is available online for download at no charge.

Page 5 of 6
K08141 ©2017 APQC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
 ABOUT APQC
APQC helps organizations work smarter, faster, and with greater confidence. It is the world’s
foremost authority in benchmarking, best practices, process and performance improvement,
and knowledge management. APQC’s unique structure as a member-based nonprofit makes it a
differentiator in the marketplace. APQC partners with more than 500 member organizations
worldwide in all industries. With more than 40 years of experience, APQC remains the world’s
leader in transforming organizations. Visit us at www.apqc.org, and learn how you can make
best practices your practices.

Page 6 of 6
K08141 ©2017 APQC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED