Salary Survey Extra is a series of occasional dispatches that give added insight into the findings of our most recent Salary Survey. These posts contain previously unpublished Salary Survey data.

With the fate of the Affordable Care Act in the United States presently up in the air, there's a fair amount of uncertainty for many Americans about where they might look next for medical insurance. For certified IT professionals, there a much clearer solution: full-time employment.

One of the biggest secondary benefits of full-time employment for many U.S. workers is enrollment in a company-funded (or at least company-supported) medical insurance plan. And an impressive 90 percent of U.S. survey respondents currently list that among their workplace perks.

Salary is probably the largest single element of the compensation packages enjoyed by most (if not all) IT professionals. You do your job and, every two weeks, a paycheck shows up in your bank account. On the other hand, most employers add a variety of other perks and benefits, typically with the aim of increasing overall satisfaction among employees.

A satisfied worker can generally be counted on to be both productive and loyal, and those are good qualities to have in a skilled professional who quite often has numerous other opportunities for employment. So when we do our annual Salary Survey, we like to round out the compensation picture with some general information about perks and benefits.

Here's what we found:

Health and Wellness: For many workers, their employer is a large contributor to covering their annual medical expenses. The breakdown of common wellness benefits and the percentage of Salary Survey respondents who receive them is as follows:

Medical Insurance — 90 percent (U.S.), 70.6 percent (All Other Countries)
Dental Insurance — 87.2 percent (U.S.), 33.2 percent (All Other Countries)
Vision Insurance — 81.3 percent (U.S.), 23.7 percent (All Other Countries)

Retirement and Long-Term Financial Security: Though many workers may not think of it this way, their employer will continue to pay them for years after they leave the company. The breakdown of common retirement and long-term security benefits and the percentage of Salary Survey respondents who receive them is as follows:

401(k) or Equivalent — 83.5 percent (U.S.), 6.7 percent (All Other Countries)
Pension or Other Company-Funded Retirement Account — 34.4 percent (U.S.), 49 percent (All Other Countries)
Stock Options — 21 percent (U.S.), 22.1 percent (All Other Countries)
Bonus or Incentive Program — 47.2 percent (U.S.), 49.6 percent (All Other Countries)

Attendance: Nobody wants to be at the office every day, right? The breakdown of common attendance benefits and the percentage of Salary Survey respondents who receive them is as follows:

Paid Time Off — 86.5 percent (U.S.), 54.3 percent (All Other Countries)
Sick Time — 63.8 percent (U.S.), 63.3 percent (All Other Countries)
Flexible Scheduling — 55.3 percent (U.S.), 31.7 percent (All Other Countries)
Child Care — 19.6 percent (U.S.), 15 percent (All Other Countries)
Parking and Transit Assistance — 24.7 percent (U.S.), 19.1 percent (All Other Countries)

Continuing Education: This is viewed by some employers as being a benefit to both the employee and the company. We'll help you improve your skills, and that will make you more valuable to us. The breakdown of common continuing education benefits and the percentage of Salary Survey respondents who receive them is as follows:

Tuition Assistance — 54.6 percent (U.S.), 13.1 percent (All Other Countries)
Training and Certification Assistance — 60 percent (U.S.), 55.7 percent (All Other Countries)

TASTES GREAT? LESS FILLING? Speaking of training and certification, we sometimes find ourselves wondering about the occasionally blurry line between a certification and a certificate. Are they the same thing? The same but different? Completely different?

Is this one of those things like the question about the tree that falls in the forest when no one is around?

As a matter of fact, it turns out that most survey respondents share a pretty firm opinion about the demarcation between certification and certificate. When we put this particular Not-So-Serious question to the IT certified  masses, most of you didn't even pause to chortle at our funny alternate choices.

One is a professional credential that requires testing and is subject to renewal, while the other is a course completion acknowledgement. — 83 percent
One ends in "-e," and the other ends in "-ion." — 6.9 percent
I honestly couldn't tell you. — 4 percent
Shhh. Don't tell my boss that there is a difference. I just got a raise! — 3.7 percent
I used to know the answer to this one. — 2.4 percent