ESPP Participation Rising

According to a February 18 story on MarketWatch.com, employee participation in employee stock purchase plans (ESPPs) is rising. The story notes that "BNY Mellon Shareholder Services, which administers such plans, reviewed its numbers for SmartMoney.com and found that employees who made cash contributions to their plans (as opposed to a fixed flat percentage) contributed 12% more in 2010 than 2008. Fidelity Investments saw a 20% increase in employee stock purchases last year, due in part to participation rates that grew by 15%."

NCEO surveys on ESPP participation shows that participation increases when the market has been going up, although arguably the best time to put money in one of these plans is in a down market. Details on the most recent ESPP survey can be found at this link.