For Immediate Release

November 29, 2006

LANSING - Most retail salaries and wages have increased at least 3 percent across Michigan since 2004. However, fewer retailers are offering health care benefits to workers.

Those are among the findings of the latest Michigan Retailers Association (MRA) Survey of Retail Salaries, Wages and Benefits. Anderson Economic Group of Lansing and Mitchell Research of East Lansing conducted the survey in September for MRA.

The survey is MRA's fourth-previous surveys were conducted in 2000, 2002 and 2004. MRA plans to continue to sponsor the survey every two years to track compensation trends in Michigan's retail industry.

“The statistics and analysis provided by this survey report are particularly valuable to Michigan retailers, because they reflect the choices of retailers facing the same economic climate and challenges-something national surveys may not do,” said James P. Hallan, MRA president and chief operating officer.

The decrease in health care benefits continues a trend that was first noted in 2002, according to survey analyst Patrick Anderson, of Anderson Economic Group. Statewide, 62 percent of retailers who responded offer health benefits to managers, down from 65 percent in 2004; 38 percent to assistant managers, down from 52 percent in 2004; and 40 percent to full-time salespeople, down from 48 percent in 2004.

More than half of the respondents (62 percent) reported that the recent increase in the state's minimum wage would not have an immediate impact on their starting hourly wage.

Fifteen percent of respondents expected the increase to impact their average starting hourly wage by a dollar or more; 23 percent felt the impact would be less than a dollar but not zero.

The survey-designed to help retail owners compare their employee compensation to others in the industry-covers salaries, wages, commissions and bonuses, health insurance, dental insurance, 401(k) plans, vacation days, sick days and merchandise discounts for a wide range of retail employees. It breaks down results by region, store size and job category.

More than 500 MRA member retailers participated in the study. The full report of the findings is available from MRA for $75 to members and $125 to non-members. To order, contact Retha Lachance at 800.366.3699.

The Michigan Retailers Association is the unified voice of retailing in Michigan and the nation's largest state trade association of general merchandise retailers. MRA's more than 5,500 retail business members operate more than 13,000 stores across the state.