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New Study Shows Significant Footprint And Strong Growth For PEO Industry

| 9/11/2015

Sept. 11, 2015, Phoenix, AZ — Professional employer organizations generate between $136 and $152 billion in gross revenues, provide services to between 2.7 and 3.4 million workers, and offer HR, benefits, and compliance assistance to between 156,000 and 180,000 small to mid-size businesses, according to a new study released today by the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO) at its annual conference in Phoenix.

 

The study, by noted economists Laurie Bassi and Dan McMurrer of McBassi and Associates, is the third in a series. Previous studies conducted by Bassi and McMurrer have shown that businesses in PEO arrangements grow faster, have lower employee turnover, and have a significantly higher rate of business survival than businesses that don’t use PEOs.

 

The new study also showed that the PEO industry has grown significantly. In each of the last 30 years, the industry has added, on average, roughly 100,000 worksite employees and 6,000 net new clients. For perspective, that means that every five years, the PEO industry has added the employment equivalent of the entire utilities industry in the United States.

 

“This study proves through hard data that the PEO industry is a vibrant, impactful, and growing sector of the U.S. economy,” said NAPEO President Pat Cleary.  “PEOs provide clear competitive advantages to their small and mid-size business clients, and more and more businesses are embracing the PEO concept and capitalizing on the benefits of using a PEO.”

 

PEOs provide payroll, benefits, regulatory compliance assistance, and other HR services to small and mid-sized companies. Through PEOs, the employees of small businesses gain access to employee benefits such as 401(k) plans; health, dental, life, and other insurance; dependent care; and other benefits typically provided by large companies.

 

“As this study highlights, the PEO industry is larger than the agricultural industry in the U.S., and comparable in size to the federal government and the education sector. Combined with last year’s passage of the Small Business Efficiency Act creating IRS recognition of the industry, it’s evident that PEOs are poised for even greater growth and impact,” said Cleary.
 

A copy of the full study is available here.

About NAPEO:

The National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO) is the Voice of the PEO Industry, with a membership of 300 PEOs of all sizes and 250 industry service partners. PEOs provide payroll, benefits, regulatory compliance assistance, and other HR services to small and mid-sized companies. Through PEOs, the employees of small businesses gain access to employee benefits such as 401(k) plans; health, dental, life, and other insurance; dependent care; and other benefits typically provided by large companies. PEOs provide services to between 156,000 to 180,000 businesses employing between 2.7 and 3.4 million people and generate between $136 and $156 billion in gross revenues annually. For more information about the PEO industry and NAPEO, please visit www.napeo.org.

 

Media Contact

Kerry Carruthers
703.739.8171
kcarruthers@napeo.org