A new survey from the state Department of Commerce and Labor shows Idaho employers sharply cut back on offering basic fringe benefits like medical coverage and paid vacation to their full-time employees from 2002 to 2005.

The new 2005 Idaho Fringe Benefits Survey found that three-quarters of employers offered some form of medical coverage and paid vacation to their full-time employees last year, and two-thirds provided paid holidays. That was down from the 2002 survey, which found 92 percent of employers reporting providing full-time workers paid vacations, 81 percent medical coverage and 87 percent paid holidays.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that in 2004 17.3 percent of Idaho’s residents – about 240,000 – did not have medical coverage, the 10th highest rate in the nation.

The survey gathered information from nearly 2,200 randomly selected employers in Idaho. To learn more, check out the full survey report.

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