A major survey has discovered workers would prefer to earn less if they had guaranteed hours. In addition to this when considering a job, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) has turned out to be the least important factor, along with benefits and perks.
The study was carried out by national recruiter Berry Recruitment which employs mainly temporary workers in the hospitality, industrial, office/professional, driving, construction, rail and IT sectors.
The wide-ranging survey also found workers saying that salary remains the most important reason for deciding whether they apply for a role – with benefits/perks and culture barely registering. When asked what the most valuable benefits an employer could offer were, training and funded courses were the most popular – with team events and activities deemed the least valuable.
“We carried out the survey in order to help employers understand what workers want and value,” says Lee Gamble, managing director of Berry Recruitment. “Respondents said they would prefer to earn a little less in exchange for guaranteed hours.
“In the survey, more than half of those questioned said their personal lives are regularly disrupted by last‑minute changes – it is a major driver of dissatisfaction and turnover. We go as far as saying that predictability is the new perk.
“Results show that workers don’t feel valued because of grand gestures or flashy freebies, but by clarity, consistency, fairness and support,” he added. “When asked about the most valued benefits, training and funded courses are most important, along with flexible working. Least important are team events and activities.”
Gamble noted that results vary between sectors and age groups but there are some takeaways for employers.
“Transparency, stability, more certainty of hours, better onboarding processes, improved communication, investment in training and progression opportunities are all things that can help improve retention and foster loyalty,” he said.
“For many years we have had a candidate-driven market because of the lack of workers. But now we are seeing unemployment rise and this might be why the desire for guaranteed hours is so important. Choice of employment opportunities is narrowing so certainty become more important for workers.”
The unemployment rate rose to a near five-year high of 5.2 per cent for the period of October to December 2025.
The results of the survey that polled 444 workers across the country in December can be found here:
