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 These posts contain previously unpublished Salary Survey data.

Our discussions of what certified IT workers earn generally center around a number on a paycheck (or series of paychecks). Salary, after all, is the most visible, most directly quantifiable element of what any tech worker's employer provides in exchange for hours worked and projects completed. Almost every worker in every profession, on the other hand, receives various kinds of non-monetary compensation.

We essentially lump all forms of non-monetary compensation together under the generic label benefits, which encompasses everything from retirement planning and vacation time to healthcare and tuition assistance. If you ever feel like you aren't being paid as much as you're worth, then it can be helpful to consider everything else that your employer is already putting on the table.

We always include a couple of questions about non-monetary compensation in the Salary Survey. Today we're taking a look as some of your answers. More specifically, what are the most common forms or non-monetary compensation, both among certified IT professionals in United States, and among certified IT professionals in other nations?

ALL U.S. WORKERS
Type of Benefit — Percentage of survey respondents who receive this benefit
Medical insurance — 93.8 percent
Paid time off (PTO) — 91.5 percent
Dental insurance — 88.8 percent
Vision insurance — 85.5 percent
401(k) — 82.9 percent
Sick time — 71.3 percent
Training or certification assistance — 62.2 percent
Bonus or incentive programs — 54.3 percent
Flexible scheduling — 52.3 percent
Tuition assistance — 52 percent
Pension or other retirement fund —  30.5 percent
Stock options — 25.8 percent
Parking and transit assistance — 22.5 percent
Child care — 16.4 percent

ALL NON-U.S. WORKERS
Type of Benefit — Percentage of survey respondents who receive this benefit
Medical insurance — 65.9 percent
Sick time — 59.8 percent
Training or certification assistance — 53.3 percent
Paid time off (PTO) — 52.8 percent
Bonus or incentive programs — 50.8 percent
Pension or other retirement fund — 44.7 percent
Flexible scheduling — 38.7 percent
Dental insurance — 26.7 percent
Vision insurance — 17.5 percent
Parking and transit assistance — 17.5 percent
Stock options — 16.9 percent
Child care — 15.1 percent
Tuition assistance — 8.4 percent
401(k) — N/A

Almost all certified IT professionals in the United States can count on their employer for medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, paid time off, and a 401(k). Sick time is less frequently provided, and only about half of workers benefit from a bonus or incentive program. It's nice to see that support for employee training and certification efforts is as robust as it is.

There's very little support for workers who need child care, on the other hand, and the glory days when tech hires got stock options almost automatically are clearly well behind us. Pensions have been more or less replaced by 401(k) plans across the U.S. employment spectrum, and that's largely true here as well.

Medical insurance is the most common form of non-monetary compensation provided to non-U.S. workers, with sick time, training or certification assistance, and paid time off also fairly widely available. U.S. tech workers contemplating moving to another country, however, should clearly not expect the same level or variety of benefits that they're likely accustomed to.