Increased Health Benefits Costs Affect Employer Hiring
NPR's "Morning Edition" on Friday reported on how the increased cost of health benefits has prompted some employers not to hire new employees. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employer health benefit costs increased by 6.5% in the third quarter. Rakesh Shankar, an economist with Economy.com, said that employer health benefit costs have "really skyrocketed" over the past three years and are "posing a big hindrance" to the hiring of new employees. The segment also includes comments from Bruce Kasman, head of economic research at JP Morgan Chase (Korry, "Morning Edition," NPR, 10/31). The full segment is available online in RealPlayer.
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