Depending on the importance you give each of these factors, a good job might be one with lower than average earnings. Employee benefits, once a minor addition to wages and salaries, are an increasingly important factor in defining a good job. In 1993, benefits averaged about 29 percent of total compensation costs. Some benefits, such as health and life insurance or subsidized child care, are virtually the same as cash, because they would otherwise have to be paid for out of earnings. Paid holidays and vacation leave improve the recipients' quality of life.
Most employers also provide other benefits that add to the quality of a job, such as sick leave.
Some employers, like airlines, provide free or subsidized travel, while retailers may provide discounts on merchandise. Chart omitted Projected growth and openings. The projected growth rate and number of job openings serve to gauge how easy or difficult it will be to find a job in an occupation, and perhaps, also to be promoted. In some cases, information on competition for jobs is also given. Some high-wage occupations available without a college degree, such as the precision production occupations, are not expected to grow.