Survey: Employers cutting benefit costs - Boston Business Journal:

http://sspick.com/palm-springs-photo-festival-day-2/48
“The responses indicate that as employers develop benefit plans for 2010 they are lookingf for ways to reduce benefit without furtherreducing benefits,” said Marianne executive director of the “Surprisingly, many responded that they plan to increas their wellness programs.” Thirty-five percent of employers responded that they plan to increas e their wellness programs. • Companies identified as its two biggesy concerns limitedbenefits budgets, and limited merit budget and bonus pools. Aboug 68% of companies are concerned or very concernedx about limited merit budget andbonus pools, and abourt 53% are concerned abouf limited benefits budgets.
• To weather the economic downturn, almost half of respondent s are auditing or plannin to audittheir employees’ dependent eligibilit y in order to reduce the number of individuals covered. And 41% plan to increase employee costs ofbenefig plans, while more than one-third have reducec or are planning to reduce staff. About 89% of employers believe that workers will respond to the economic downturn bydelaying retirement. Also, 83% of employers say theid workers are concerned aboutjob security, and 42% think theifr employees have been impacted by low morale. The survey was submittecd to the association's employe r members and facilitated byin Houston.
The association' s 900-plus members represent a broae cross-section of benefits professionalsin Texas, Louisiana. Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas, but are not limiteds to those states.