Who’s working on Labor Day?

By Dan Cook

September 04, 2015 at 09:05 AM

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Labor Day is still a day of no labor for some, extra labor for others.

A survey from Bloomberg BNA tells us that, in recent years, U.S. companies have tended to honor Labor Day as that last gasp of summer for most employees by not making them show up for work that Monday.

However, the fact remains that somebody has to keep the money machine running. So while most folks can relax in the hammock while the steaks burn, others are being paid extra to work.

Here are the stats: 97 percent of employers surveyed said they recognize Labor Day as an official day off. Four in 10 said that, despite that designation, they require some folks to work that day.

Unsurprisingly, security and tech workers are the ones conscripted at most workplaces. Sales and customer service reps are the least likely to be required to work.

Here's the breakdown by job description of the percentage of respondents making the following employees work:

Security, public safety, IT: 15 percent
Professionals: 13 percent
Managers/supervisors: 11 percent
Maintenance/sales/customer service: 10 percent

But rewards await those forced into labor on Labor Day: 86 percent of companies will give workers a bump that day. The most common way of showing gratitude to these loyalists is via time-and-a-half pay (27 percent). Another 16 percent said they offer double-time pay, 18 percent offers a pay bump and comp time, and 9 percent comp time and regular pay.

These trends are essentially unchanged since the survey was last conducted in 2013.

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