Work conditions in the United States

The Active Population in Figures

Working Conditions

Legal Weekly Duration

40 hours

Retirement Age

65 years

Working Contracts

Employment contracts determine if the employee forms part of the regular or non-regular staff. Full time employees form the regular staff. Among the non-regular staff, there are different types of contract: part-time workers, temporary workers and interns.

Labour Laws

Doing Business: U.S., to obtain a summary of labour regulations that apply to local entreprises

Cost of Labour

Minimum Wage

The minimum wage varies depending on the States and activity sectors. The federal minimum wage provisions are contained in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009.

Average Wage

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the mean wage for workers in the United States in May 2021 was $58,260 per year.

Social Contributions

Social Security Contributions Paid By Employers: OASDI (handicap, disability, old age; 6.2%, imposed on the first USD 147,000 of wages) + Medicare (1.45%) + FUTA (unemployment at the federal level; 6% on first USD 7,000 and applicable for tax credit) + SUTA (unemployment at each state level; varies across states)
Social Security Contributions Paid By Employees: OASDI (6.2%, imposed on the first USD 147,000 of wages) + Medicare (1.45% + 0.9% if total wages above USD 200,000 annually)

Social Partners

Employer Associations

ASE - American Society of Employers
SBA - U.S. Small Business Administration
NAM - National Association of Manufacturers

Social Dialogue and Involvement of Social Partners

Today most labour unions in the United States are members of one of two larger umbrella organisations: the American Federation of Labour-Congress of Industrial Organisations (AFL-CIO) or the Change to Win Federation, which split from the AFL-CIO in 2005.

Labour Unions

Unions.org

Unionisation Rate

Union Membership had been steadily declining in the U.S. since 1983. In 2007, the Department of Labour reported the first increase in union memberships in 25 years and the largest increase since 1979. Most of the recent gains in union membership have been in the service sector, while the number of unionised employees in the manufacturing sector has declined. Most of the gains in the service sector have come in West Coast states, such as California, where union membership is now at 16.7% compared with a national average of about 12.1%.

Labour Regulation Bodies

Department of Labour
U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics