Access to Employer Benefits and the Effect on Disparities

As providers of both wages and benefits, employers are positioned to help shape employee financial stability. But this important role employers play also means that inequities in access to benefits across demographic groups may lead to systematic disparities in financial security.

This report uses longitudinal data from a nationally representative internet panel to examine post-pandemic racial/ethnic and sex disparities in access to employer-sponsored benefits. It also examines the relationship between access to benefits and financial stability. Read the full report.

Key Takeaways:

• An examination of longitudinal 2021–2023 data from a nationally representative internet panel finds substantial, persistent, and in some cases, growing disparities in access to employer benefits among racial/ethnic groups as well as men and women.
• Results suggest that persistent inequitable access to employer-sponsored benefits may be contributing to the well-known gaps in financial security across race and sex.
• The findings show that access to benefits is predictive of lower employee turnover.