Analyses by Reward Gateway | Edenred of over 8,700 UK job adverts across 37 industries, along with the perks and salaries advertised within them, have revealed which sectors offer the most and fewest workplace perks. The research has sought to find whether the industries with the most vacancies to fill are doing enough to attract candidates.
The analysis scored every industry on the number of perks advertised per 100 jobs sampled, counting everything from private healthcare, pensions and bonuses to flexible working and extra holiday.
Among the results it was found that the sector advertising the fewest perks is graduate training and internships, which offer just 39 perks per 100 jobs sampled. The average graduate role in the UK receives around 140 applications, according to the Institute of Student Employers, and competition is fiercer still in the most sought-after fields. There are around 205 applications per role in digital and IT, 188 in financial and professional services, and more than 200 in media and law.
When employers are this heavily oversubscribed, there is little pressure to sweeten job offers with additional perks, which is perhaps why the number recorded in this study is so low.
Manufacturing scored the second fewest perks, at 58.98 per 100 jobs sampled. Part of the reasoning could be because most manufacturing roles are site-based, which means there is a limit to some of the perks that can be offered like flexible, remote or hybrid working.
ONS data shows manufacturing is among the industries least likely to offer hybrid working and other research suggests it’s likely to offer pay incentives instead, with nearly half (47 per cent) paying a premium for permanent night shifts.
Engineering is third from the bottom of the table and has the most live vacancies of any sector analysed. It has 6,975 live roles and 59.13 perks per 100 jobs sampled. Could this be a sector where underused benefits offerings might help to recruit much-needed talent? Research shows finding those with the right skillsets is proving tough, with 76 per cent of engineering employers saying they struggle to recruit key roles.
The legal industry offers the most perks on average, with 163 perks offered per 100 jobs sampled. Research shows law firms are competing hard to attract and retain talent, increasingly through benefits rather than pay alone. And the stats are impressive. 93 per cent of law firms pay pension contributions above the statutory minimum and 96 per cent offer private medical insurance, while retention is increasingly driven by non-financial factors like wellbeing support.
In second place is accountancy, which is also the highest paying sector of all 37, at £61,265 for its average salary. Here, top pay and top perks go together. Accounting and finance technicians are among the ten most critically in-demand occupations in the country. With qualified talent scarce and easily poached, strong benefits matter as much as pay in attracting top talent.
The third most generous sector for perks is charity, at 157 perks per 100 jobs sampled. Its salary sits around the middle of the table, showing that a strong benefits package does not always follow the biggest pay packet. Charities cannot always match higher corporate salaries, so they often compete on non-financial perks instead.
Lower pay is typically compensated with time off, often 25 to 34 days’ holiday, plus flexible hours and sabbaticals. Other frequently offered perks, from season-ticket loans to cycle-to-work schemes, are largely cost-neutral to most charities but highly valued by their staff.
“There’s a persistent assumption that a strong salary will always win the war for talent,” notes Chris Britton, People Experience Director at Reward Gateway | Edenred, “but our research tells a more nuanced story, with industries like the charity sector offering some of the best perks alongside an average salary.
“Pay might get a candidate’s attention, but benefits, flexibility and wellbeing are increasingly what make them stay at companies for many years to come.”
View the full study here
