About 35 percent of healthcare and social assistance establishments increased wages and salaries, paid wage premiums or provided bonuses because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Feb. 18 Bureau of Labor Statistics report.
Out of the 11.8 million people employed in these establishments, 62.3 percent received these compensation advancements.
The healthcare industry has the second highest percentage of establishments that provided increased wages or bonuses. About 46 percent of establishments in the accommodations and food services industry did.
A recent survey by Payscale found that the healthcare industry was one of the least likely to give workers raises of over 3 percent, with only 32 percent of healthcare respondents saying they would.
Meanwhile, other white-collar employees are seeing major increases in pay. Finance, information and professional employees' compensation rose 4.4 percent in January 2022 from 2021, according to The Wall Street Journal.