2019 Employee Benefits and Perks Statistics

Posted by Ashley Autry on Jan. 31, 2019

It's no secret employee benefits costs continue to rise.

And 2019 won't be any different.

Health benefits alone are projected to increase 6% over this year.

So how are rising benefits costs impacting employers and employees?

What will businesses do to deal with these rising prices?

To what degree do benefits impact attracting and retaining employees?

For insights into these questions and more, check out the stats below, as we're gathering every relevant piece of data about workplace benefits.

Subscribe and check back regularly - we're constantly adding new stats to the list.

Need more? These and stats from recent years are all included in our Ultimate Collection of Employee Benefits database. We also maintain a huge collection of employee engagement and loyalty stats, to help you get a complete picture of what's happening in offices across the country.

New call-to-action

We used to keep these statistics on our employee engagement and loyalty stats page, but we feel like benefits are complex enough to merit their own collection. Like each of our stat pages, we'll update this one on a weekly basis.

Have data you'd like to see on these pages? Drop us a link in the comments.

This page is brought to you courtesy of Access Perks, provider of America's best employee discount programs. Visit our site to learn more!

Benefits and Employee Engagement/Retention/Recruitment Statistics

  • 32% of workers are looking to change jobs in 2019, citing low pay or a lack of benefits (15%) and poor company culture (10%) as the reasons (CareerBuilder)
  • 35% of Millennials were more likely than any other generation to leave for a better paying job, compared to 19% of Gen X and 9% of Baby Boomers (Bankrate)
  • 26% intend to look for a better job in the next 12 months (Bankrate)
  • Households that bring in less than $30,000 a year were most likely to look for a new job over the next 12 months, with nearly two out of five (37%) reporting so (Bankrate)
  • 33% of Millennials reported they were going to kick start their job search over the next 12 months, compared with 21% of Gen X and 20% of Baby Boomers (Bankrate)
  • Most employees would quit their job today if offered a position at a different company with a similar role, pay and benefits (O.C. Tanner)
  • 89% of employers think employees leave because of money, when only 12% actually do (O.C. Tanner)
  • 79% of Gen Z and Millennial employees said an increase in recognition rewards would make them more loyal to their employers (daVinci Payments)
  • 61% of full-time workers who changed jobs in the past two years said that a 9% pay boost could persuade them to quit their job, while 30% said being underpaid would probably cause them to look for another job (Ajilon)
  • 70% of Gen Z and Millennial employees would stay at their job for another year if given rewards amounting to only $150 over one year (daVinci Payments)
  • 72% of employees said having more work benefits would increase job satisfaction (Zoro)
  • Money remains the top reason workers quit their jobs, but it’s not always what attracts them to a new opportunity (PayScale)
  • 25% of employees cited a bigger paycheck as the top reason for quitting their job, but 27% said the opportunity to do more meaningful work is why they accepted a new position (PayScale)
  • Employers are on average offering new talent 15% pay increases to come on board, but employees only expect a 10% pay raise when switching employers (Gartner)
  • 25% of employees reported leaving a previous job because they felt underpaid (Hibob)
  • Half of all employees received a raise or promotion in the prior year (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System)
  • Top reasons workers left a job were not feeling valued, not being paid enough, and inadequate opportunities for advancement (Reflektive)
  • 58% of workers said money is the main driver in choosing their work, followed by benefits and vacation packages (Reflektive)
  • Hourly workers are twice as interested in earning a promotion at their current employer via their work experience rather than in changing jobs to climb the ladder (Branch)
  • Almost 25% of U.S. workers were actively look for another job, a 7.6% increase from last quarter but still lower than the global average of 27% (Gartner)
  • 43% of U.S. workers expressed high intent to stay with their current employers, a slight decrease from 4Q18 but significantly higher than the global average of 33% (Gartner)
  • Organizations with attractive EVPs can reduce the compensation premium needed to attract qualified candidates as well as potentially decrease annual employee turnover by just under 70% (Gartner)
  • More than 35% of 18-34 year olds ranked compensation as the top motivating factor to leave their job (Ceridian)
  • 36% of workers and nearly half of millennials would consider quitting a job that didn’t provide learning opportunities (Docebo)
  • Hourly workers prefer to be developed for advancement internally rather than look elsewhere for career growth opportunities (Branch)
  • 70% of staff members would be at least somewhat likely to leave their current organizations and take a job with one that is known for investing in employee development and learning (The Harris Poll)
  • Among employees who left their previous job, 34% said finding a new job with more career development opportunities spurred them on (The Harris Poll)
  • Career development ranked 2nd to compensation as the reason employees left their organizations (The Harris Poll)
  • More than 80% of employees would quit their jobs for better development opportunities (ExecuSearch)
  • Development opportunities were a top attraction for 23% of Gen Z vs. 17% of millennials at the same age in 2013 (Gartner)
  • Remote workers said they’re likely to stay in their current job for the next five years, 13% more than on-site workers did (Owl Labs)
  • 30% of employees said they’ve left a job for not offering work flexibility (Flexjobs)
  • 16% of employees are looking for a new job because they want flexibility (Flexjobs)
  • 80% of employees said they would be more loyal to their employer if it offered job flexibility, and more than half said they have tried to negotiate flexible work with their employer (Flexjobs)
  • Women were 11% more likely than men to say flexible work options drove them to a new job, and millennials were 9% more likely to leave a job for more money than boomers (PayScale)
  • 71% of employees would quit if another employer offered them flexible scheduling in a new job (ExecuSearch)
  • 80% of workers say they would choose to work a job with a flexible work option over one without (IWG)
  • In companies without flexible work options, women are 20% more likely to look for a new job in the next three years and men are 30% more likely to do so (BCG)
  • 34% of female employees said their company has a flexible work program in place (BCG)
  • 69% of women with advanced degrees or high-honors undergraduate degrees that had left work would not have done so had their workplace offered more flexible work arrangements (Center for Work-Life Policy)
  • 81% of employers say expanding the talent pool is the key motivator for adopting flexible work policies (IWG)
  • 73% of U.S. workers said health and wellness programs are a consideration in deciding whether to work for a company (OfficeTeam)
  • 87% of U.S. workers ages 18-34, 70% ages 35-54, and 44% ages 55+ factor in health and wellness offerings in their job decisions (OfficeTeam)
  • 79% of men and 65% of women consider health and wellness in their employment decisions (OfficeTeam)
  • Nearly a third of millennials say they’ll be chasing higher salaries at another employer five years from now (Staples)

New call-to-action

  • Almost 57% of employees would give up any and all offered benefits if it meant their salary increased (Zoro)
  • 54% of employees are willing to accept a higher salary to work for employers that make donations to political candidates they dislike, block labor unions from organizing (39%) and use legal loopholes to minimize their tax liability (38%) (The Manifest)
  • 79% of employees would not accept a job with a higher salary from a company that failed to act in response to a report of sexual harassment (The Manifest)
  • 76% of employees wouldn’t join a company offering a higher salary that sells users’ data without users’ knowledge (The Manifest)
  • 54.2% of employees would leave their job for a pay raise, career advancement (37.8%) and for better corporate benefits (20.7%) (Achievers)
  • 26% of employees ranked recognition for their work in their top three factors for staying with their current employer, but 17% said their manager/employer was horrible – they never recognized their work and 43% ranked their manager/employer as just okay – recognizing them annually or quarterly at least (Achievers)
  • 45% of employers have raised pay rates in order to stay competitive attracting and retaining talent (SunTrust)
  • 43% of employers increased benefits in order to stay competitive attracting and retaining talent (SunTrust)
  • 36% of employers offered more flexible work arrangements in order to stay competitive attracting and retaining talent (SunTrust)
  • 23% of employers offered additional recognition programs in order to stay competitive attracting and retaining talent (SunTrust)
  • 76% of workers said a tuition reimbursement program would make them more likely to remain at their organization (Bright Horizons)
  • 17% of employers offered college loan repayment and/or college savings programs to combat the talent shortage (SunTrust)
  • 60% of employees said they would be more loyal to a company that helped cover prenatal care, family planning and abortion care (NARAL Pro-Choice America)
  • 61% of U.S. adults look for career development opportunities when considering employment opportunities (Jobvite)
  • 93% of state and local workers say pensions incentivize public workers to have long public service careers, while 94% say offering a pension is a good tool for attracting and retaining employees (NIRS)
  • 89% of state and local employees plan to stay with their current employer until they are eligible for retirement or can no longer work (NIRS)
  • 58% of state and local employees say that switching them out of a pension into an individual retirement plan would make them more likely to leave their job (NIRS)
  • 73% of state and local employees say they would be more likely to leave their job if their healthcare benefits were cut (NIRS)
  • 92% of state and local employees say eliminating pensions for the public workforce will weaken governments’ ability to attract and retain qualified workers (NIRS)
  • 74% of Millennial state and local employees say a pension benefit is a major reason they chose a public sector job, while 85% say they plan to stay with their current employer until they are eligible for retirement or can no longer work (NIRS)
  • 85% of Millennial state and local employees say they plan to stay with their current employer until they are eligible for retirement or can no longer work (NIRS)
  • 84% of Millennial state and local employees say a pension benefit is a major reason why they stay in their jobs (NIRS)
  • More than half of Millennial state and local employees say switching out a pension would make them more likely to leave their job (NIRS)
  • 74% of Millennial state and local employees say they will stay in their job as long as possible to ensure financial security in retirement (NIRS)

2019 Salary and Base Compensation Statistics

  • Salary is important to 71% of state and local employees (NIRS)
  • 22% of state and local employees say their salaries are very competitive, and 80% say they could earn a higher salary in the private sector (NIRS)
  • 27% of state and local employees say their total compensation is very competitive, but only 19% say it would be competitive if their compensation lacked a pension (NIRS)
  • Half of U.S. workers haven’t received a pay boost in some form over the past 12 months (Bankrate)
  • Nearly 49% of Americans reported seeing higher pay this year, up from 38% last year and the highest since 2016 (Bankrate)
  • Of the near 49% of employees who did see higher pay over the past 12 months, about 28% received a raise, while 12% found a better paying job and 10% found both (Bankrate)
  • 38% saw extra compensation for their performance, while 31% were promoted or given new responsibilities (Bankrate)
  • The typical “cost-of-living” increase accounted for 26% of workers who reported getting a raise (Bankrate)
  • Half of all baby boomers who got a pay raise received a performance-based boost, compared to 32% of Millennials and 40% of Gen X (Bankrate)
  • 34% of Millennials got a raise by progressing to a higher-level role, compared to 22% of Gen X and 27% of Baby Boomers (Bankrate)
  • 64% of households making less than $30,000 didn’t see any kind of boost to their pay in the past 12 months compared with 52% of those making between $30,000-$49,999, and 43% of those who make between $50,000-$74,999 (Bankrate)
  • 56% of college graduates made more money over the past 12 months, but 45% of those without a college degree experienced those same opportunities over the past year (Bankrate)
  • Women were more likely to report no change in pay with 53% reporting no raise compared with 47% of men (Bankrate)
  • 13% of women found a better-paying job compared to 10% of men (Bankrate)
  • 30% of workers have increased confidence in the job market over the past 12 months, while 58% say they feel about the same and 12% report feeling worse (Bankrate)
  • A little less than half of employers said it's difficult to meet compensation requirements (LaSalle)
  • 43% of workers would be willing to leave their companies for a 10% salary increase, and weak company cultures are to blame (TINYpulse)
  • While employees prefer pay over benefits, most business leaders believe employees want benefits and perks over beefier paychecks (WSU)
  • Higher pay was the first priority for hourly workers, followed by predictable work schedule, a positive work culture, scheduling flexibility and supportive managers (Branch)
  • Half of employees would sacrifice their salary, as much as 29% of it, to work a job they enjoy (Kforce)
  • 41% of employees said a higher salary would improve their job satisfaction (CNBC)
  • 25% of workers say they are very well paid and 48% say they are somewhat well paid (CNBC)
  • About 70% of HR managers and senior execs expect employee pay raises to stay at 3% or less on average (PayScale)
  • More than 40% of employers gave raises of 10% or more for some jobs within their organization (PayScale)
  • More than 60% of employers plan to raise wages in 2019, with 70% saying increase will range from .5% to 3% (LaSalle)

New call-to-action

  • 60% of job seekers reported being at least somewhat comfortable negotiating their salary compared to 51% a year ago (Jobvite)
  • 55% of professionals tried negotiating a higher salary with their last job offer, a 16 point increase from 2018 (Robert Half)
  • 68% of male employees tried negotiating pay, compared to 45% of women (Robert Half)
  • 65% of professionals ages 18-34 asked for higher salaries versus 55% of those ages 35-54 and 38% of those 55+ (Robert Half)
  • 70% of senior managers expected some back and forth negotiating from candidates (Robert Half)
  • 62% of senior managers said they were open to negotiating pay and 59% said they were open to negotiating benefits and perks than they were a year ago (Robert Half)
  • Two in five workers become disinterested in a job offer if an employer won’t negotiate details beyond salary (Robert Half)
  • 21% of workers said they don’t negotiate after receiving a job offer (Robert Half)
  • 98% of CFOs said their organizations are open to negotiating some aspect of job offers with candidates, 63% said pay is negotiable, 52% are prepared to discuss professional development and training reimbursement, 47% benefits and 45% will discuss remote work or scheduling arrangements (Robert Half)
  • Nearly half of employees have expressed concerns that their current pay did not line up with that of other employees in similar roles (Paychex)
  • 47% of employees feel underpaid, 44% are dissatisfied with benefits and 43% feel unsatisfied with their career path (Addison Group)
  • Reasons employees value their work and are loyal to their employer include the work they perform (55%), salary (50%) and immediate supervisor (39%) (Addison Group)
  • More than 10% of employees would take a salary decrease of $5,000-$10,000 each year and 3% would accept a decrease of more than $10,000 to work at an environmentally friendly and socially responsible employer (Swytch)
  • The average hourly wage for female healthcare workers is almost 25% lower than the average for men working in health care (MGH & Perelman School of Medicine)
  • About one-third of female healthcare workers make less than $15 per hour, and nearly half of black and Latina women in healthcare earn less than $15 per hour (MGH & Perelman School of Medicine)
  • Hospitals employed the largest number of workers making less than $15 an hour (MGH & Perelman School of Medicine)
  • Raising the minimum wage to $15/hr would decrease poverty rates among female health care workers by up to 50%, while increasing U.S. health care costs by 1.5% (MGH & Perelman School of Medicine)
  • 71% of employees won’t tolerate companies paying women and minority employees less than others for doing the same job (The Manifest)
  • 40% of Gen Z employees think they’ll earn more than $100,000 a year at the peak of their career (InsideOut)
  • 62% of workers and 78% of Millennials said they’d accept a pay cut to work for a company with a mission that mirrored their values (Udemy)
  • With wage parity, the data reveals companies publishing their pay equity analysis reported a 3% ROE advantage (JUST Capital)
  • While 63% of entry-level employees wanted extra opportunities to earn more money, only 49% of employees in middle management desired the same (Zoro)
  • For a $5,000 salary increase or an extra week of PTO, the majority of employees would happily say goodbye to office birthday celebrations, company memorabilia, free snacks, and even free coffee (Zoro)
  • Money is a major pain point for 80% of workers (Ceridian)
  • 80% of North American workers are stressed to some capacity about pay and money issues on a regular basis (Ceridian)
  • 59% of full and part-time employees are currently paid every two weeks but 37% would prefer to be paid weekly (Ceridian)
  • 30% of workers are content with how transparent employers are about pay (Ceridian)
  • About 50% of female workers and 35% of male workers said not earning enough money is the top reason they’re unhappy with their employers (Ceridian)
  • 37% of workers said they aren’t comfortable discussing pay with managers (Ceridian)
  • Providing simple savings options can help reduce financial stress and boost productivity for lower-wage workers (Common Wealth)
  • 75% of workers earning less than $60,000 a year believe that if their companies offered workplace savings programs at the same time as salary increases, they’d be less stressed and more confident about their finances (Commonwealth)
  • Of employees who have savings, 43% said they had less than $400 set aside (Commonwealth)
  • The probability of employees being able to save increases by 2% for every additional dollar earned, up to a wage of $20/hr (Commonwealth)
  • 32%-35% of employers are reserving variable pay for executives and managers, while 22%-25% are reserving it for lower-level employees (Gallagher)
  • 39% of organizations use variable pay for at least one employee group (Gallagher)
  • 20% of employers reported using lump sum awards for at least one employee group (Gallagher)
  • The portion of compensation subject to performance rises from 5% for low-level workers to 25% for executives (Gallagher)
  • 26% of employers indicated higher healthcare costs were a primary factor for keeping salary increases in check (Gallagher)
  • Slightly more than half of employees ranked opportunities for growth as more important than compensation (Hibob)
  • 80% of Millennial state and local employees say they could earn a higher salary in the private sector (NIRS)
  • 24% of state and local employees are very satisfied with their salary and another 38% are somewhat satisfied (NIRS)
  • 32% of Millennial state and local employees say their overall compensation package is very competitive (NIRS)

2019 Healthcare and Wellness Benefits Statistics

  • 58% of organizations report offering general wellness programs in 2019 (SHRM)
  • 31% of organizations offered onsite health screening programs in 2019 (SHRM)
  • 13% of employers offered onsite stress management programs in 2019, 11% offered meditation/mindfulness/contemplative programs designed to help employees manage stress, and 13% offered onsite massage therapy (SHRM)
  • Health-related benefits and wellness benefits saw the greatest increases across employers over the last 12 months, with 20% indicating they increased offerings in those areas (SHRM)
  • Health-related benefits offerings were increased by 20% of employers over the last 12 months, regardless of size, while wellness benefits were more likely to be increased by large employers (SHRM)
  • 25% of employers with 500 or more employees increased wellness benefits since 2018, but only 13% of employers with fewer than 99 employees increased wellness benefits (SHRM)
  • 20% of organizations reported increases to healthcare benefits offerings since 2018 (SHRM)
  • Employers believe that healthcare and retirement benefits are the most important to their workforce (SHRM)
  • 20% of organizations indicated that their health-related benefits have increased in the past twelve months, despite estimated cost of employer-sponsored health care benefits approaching $15,000 per employee next year (SHRM)
  • 86% of employers believe health-related benefits are very important or extremely important to their workforce, and only 3% have reported a decrease in benefits (SHRM)
  • 70% of employers have indicated that their benefits have stayed the same (SHRM)
  • In 2019, 20% of organizations offered one health care plan, while 79% offered two or more types of health care plans (SHRM)
  • 98% of organizations that employ fewer than 100 people provided a health care plan to employees (SHRM)
  • Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans continue to be the most popular health care insurance offering, with 85% of employers including a PPO option (SHRM)
  • 59% of employers offered an HDHP linked to a health saving or spending account and 19% offered an HDHP not linked to a health saving or spending account (SHRM)
  • In 2019, 39% of organizations provided an employer contribution to HSAs (SHRM)
  • The percentage of organizations offering HRAs remained steady at about 20% over the past five years (SHRM)
  • 83% of employers share the cost of health insurance premiums with employees (SHRM)
  • 36% of employers report that they share the cost of premiums for part-time employees, and 19% still require they bear the burden in full (SHRM)
  • Health insurance is very important to 78% of state and local employees (NIRS)
  • Organizations with 99 or fewer employees are more likely to cover the cost of health insurance in full for full-time employees than larger organizations (SHRM)
  • Organizations with greater than 100 employees are more likely to share the cost of healthcare benefits with part-time employees than small organizations (SHRM)
  • 67% of organizations have not made changes in wellness benefits in the past year (SHRM)
  • 58% of organizations offer wellness programs (SHRM)
  • Wellness programs focused on particular health conditions (24%) or health screening (31%) have seen declines as insurers have moved into this space, while benefits like quiet rooms (21%), fitness activities (about 30%) and standing desks (60%) have seen increases (SHRM)
  • 83% of employers offer accidental death & dismemberment insurance, 71% offer long-term disability, 61% offer short-term disability, and 27% offer accident insurance (SHRM)
  • Healthcare and flexible spending accounts remain popular, offered by 68% of employers this year (SHRM)
  • 56% of organizations offer Health Savings Accounts (SHRM)
  • Almost half of adult workers don’t think employers see mental health as an acceptable reason for an absence (University of Phoenix)
  • Substance use disorders concern 84% of employers and nearly 90% of employers say they plan to address the stigma of mental health (Optum)
  • Mental and/or physical health accounted for more than 84% of direct effects on productivity loss, as well as 93% of indirect influences (Vitality Group, Cambridge and Charles University)
  • More than eight in ten employees say their employers provide at least one mental health offering, but also feel they could be doing more (AHA)
  • 42% of employees would like their employers to provide more information about mental health benefits, accommodations and resources (AHA)
  • More than 76% of employees are confident their managers were properly trained on how to identify employees who may be having a mental health issue, while only 16% of HR professionals agreed (ThriveMap)
  • 55% of employees said their employer didn’t have a specific mental health policy or program in place (ThriveMap)
  • 26% of U.S. workers favored incentives that reward healthy behavior, while 22% said the same of programs with fitness facilities (23%) (OfficeTeam)
  • 19% of Baby Boomers want a gym membership or onsite fitness center compared to 22% of Gen X and 23% of Millennials (Unum)
  • 19% of Baby Boomers want fitness or healthy lifestyle incentives (Unum)
  • 36% of employees want a gym membership or onsite fitness center, 18% want fitness goal incentives, 14% want health coaching, 28% want onsite healthy snacks (Unum)
  • Almost half of the nation’s employers offer workplace health or wellness programs (UNC)
  • 79% of employers say they offer wellness programs to improve absenteeism/presenteeism, 78% attract and retain talent, and 76% to improve and maintain employee morale (Optum)
  • Since 2016, the amount of employers that use health-related mobile apps rose 46% (Optum)
  • About 75% of employers reported health-related mobile apps assisted the increase in worker participation (Optum)
  • The amount of organizations reporting their well-being programs included the use of fitness or activity devices rose by almost 40% (Optum)
  • 84% of employers said they will augment their investment in women’s health services (Optum)
  • 12% of workplaces offer comprehensive health promotion programs, which include supportive social and physical environments as well as health screenings with follow-up and education (UNC)
  • Among employers with 50 or more workers, about 17% offer comprehensive health promotion programs (UNC)
  • Three factors that were independent predictors of having a comprehensive health promotion program: at least one person was assigned responsibility for the program, a budget was allocated for the program and the employer had several years of experience with health promotion programming (UNC)
  • 20% of companies don’t offer health and wellness programs (OfficeTeam)
  • 42% of employees said their employer offered a health and wellness program (Staples)
  • 41% of employees would take a 10% pay cut for a company that cared more about employee wellness (Staples)
  • Personalized wellness programs, combined with a variety of non-cash incentives like paid time off, would motivate 80% of employees to be more engaged in employer programming (Welltok)
  • 84% of employees said their company offers one-size-fits-all wellness programs, and 56% said they have received irrelevant support (Welltok)
  • More than 60% of employees want help from their employer for all facets of health, with financial health being their top priority (Welltok)
  • 64% of employees reported feeling stressed at work, but only one-third of employees reported employers offering stress management programs (Welltok)
  • 35% of employees either know nothing about or don’t fully understand their healthcare coverage, while another 33% don’t understand their medical bills (Maestro Health)
  • Fully paid medical insurance topped the list of perks that workers said they don’t have, but want, followed by a four-day work week and fully paid dental insurance (Zoro)
  • 62% of employees said their employer does not act as a resource for healthcare-related questions (Maestro Health)
  • Employee burnout is costly, as burnout is estimated to be attributed to 120,000 deaths per year and $190 billion in healthcare spending (O.C. Tanner)
  • Employees spend just 18 minutes on average enrolling in their benefits (PlanSource)
  • About a third of workers said the most difficult part of making annual benefit elections is keeping track of changes within the plan (Paychex)
  • 28% of workers said it’s challenging evaluating the providers and plan options for benefits (Paychex)
  • When asked which work benefits they valued most, workers chose work-life balance, only 8% said it was less important than compensation (Comparably)
  • Workers in legal, design and business development picked work-life balance as the second most important work benefit (Comparably)
  • About 80% of U.S. workers gave their jobs’ day-to-day tasks, work-life balance, company morale and benefits packages a letter grade of B- (Kforce)
  • More than one-third of U.S. workers ranked work-life balance as the biggest contributor to finding meaning in their work (Udemy)
  • 25% of employees, 40% of Gen X, 42% of Gen Z and 48% of Boomers chose work-life balance as the top source of meaning (Udemy)
  • Career development was more important among millennials than work-life balance (Udemy)
  • More than 60% of 18-34 year olds said their productivity at work suffers due to stress over poor work-life balance or unrealistic professional demands (MHA/Total Brain)
  • Women gave their jobs one letter grade lower than med did when asked to rate their organizations’ potential for internal growth, company morale and benefits (Kforce)
  • More than 60% of employees believe that companies should consider access to reproductive healthcare when opening a new office or relocating, and that companies, on the whole, should work with local leaders to improve access to birth control and abortion (NARAL Pro-Choice America)
  • Ease of access was the top motivator for those who took advantage of their employers’ behavioral health benefits (Ginger)
  • 91% of workers think their employer should be concerned about their emotional well-being, and 85% said access to behavioral health benefits is a major consideration in evaluating new job options (Ginger)
  • Employers are increasingly offering health savings accounts (HSAs), which increased by 125% from 2016-2018 (PlanSource)
  • HSA contributions to HSAs increased, with employers contributing $992 on average in 2018 and employees contributing $2,076 (PlanSource)
  • 70% of workers say they are comfortable sharing personal health information with their employers in return for personalized guidance in managing their health – a marked difference from the 53% who said that last year (Alight)
  • Millennials are the most comfortable (79%) sharing personal health information with their employers, followed by Gen X (70%) and Baby Boomers (56%) (Alight)
  • Workers rate the following mental health services they would likely use if offered by their employer through a third party (in order of importance): a stress management program to build resilience; referral to offsite, in-person mental health professional; onsite services with a mental health professional; onsite meditation or mindfulness class; telephonic, virtual or online visit with a mental health professional; mental health awareness campaign or other promotion to encourage awareness; and mental and emotional health application (Alight)
  • Workers are slightly less comfortable, but three in five are still willing to share personal financial information with their employer to allow them to provide personalized financial guidance or planning (Alight)
  • Millennials are the most comfortable sharing personal financial information with their employer (67%), followed by Gen X (59%) and Baby Boomers (44%) (Alight)
  • Workers rate the following valuable well-being communications they would like to have available (in order of importance): a financial well-being site; overall well-being site; financial well-being seminars; physical or mental well-being site; and physical and/or mental health seminars (Alight)
  • The most valuable specific well-being tools were retirement savings plan decision tools; health plan comparisons; cost clarity; spending and savings assistance; and provider choice tools (Alight)

New call-to-action

  • The most valuable well-being programs were: Paid time off exchange; onsite health clinics; personalized support for navigating the health system; higher education support; 1:1 financial support; fitness reimbursement programs; and nutrition, healthy eating, weight management classes and programs (Alight)
  • 2.5 times more employees feel their well-being is going well if the programs are convenient (Alight)
  • Almost one-third of workers said they would like their employer to assist more than they currently do with their financial health and planning; health care and prescription drug costs were a desired area of financial assistance for 34% of workers and the cost of housing was a top concern for 26% (NBGH)
  • About 27% of workers said they would like overall support for their mental health (NBGH)
  • About 25% of workers want resources to help them sleep better and be more resilient, and another two in five want assistance with burnout on the job (NBGH)
  • 59% of employees reported high levels of well-being when their employers provided access to health-enabling communities compared to those without such communities (28%) (NBGH)
  • Employer usage of telemedicine has gone up 171% since 2014 (Optum)
  • 43% of state and local employees are very satisfied with their health insurance and another 39% are somewhat satisfied (NIRS)
  • 44% of state and local employees are very satisfied with their work-life balance and another 38% are somewhat satisfied (NIRS)

2019 Retirement Benefits Statistics

  • Of the specific job features that provide job satisfaction, job security ranks highest at 86%, retirement benefits at 85%, paid vacation at 83%, and health insurance at 82% (NIRS)
  • 44% of state and local employees are very satisfied with their retirement benefits and another 41% are somewhat satisfied (NIRS)
  • Retirement benefits are important to 73% of state and local employees (NIRS)
  • More than half of workers feel confident in how much they have saved for retirement, but 25% of those added that this confidence depends on social security (Paychex)
  • The average worker wants to retire by age 62, 18-24 year old workers plan to retire at 56, and workers ages 55-65 see themselves retiring at 67 (Monster)
  • The preferred retirement age range was 60-69 for 71% of the 55-65 year old workers (Monster)
  • Retirement benefits tied with affordable health plans as the 2nd most preferred benefit across all age groups (Monster)
  • One-third of American workers think they will struggle with their finances in retirement or they will never be able to retire (Natixis)
  • About 60% of Americans age 60+ said people continuing to work past the previous retirement age has been a good thing for the economy, compared with 30% of Americans under 30 years old (Associated Press)
  • 2% of organizations let workers put the cash value of unused time off into their 401(k), and 2% let them convert time to a donation for a not-for-profit organization (WorldatWork)
  • 57% of employers offer retirement investment advice (SHRM)
  • 36% of employers offer non-retirement financial advice (SHRM)
  • 18% of organizations offer credit counseling services (SHRM)
  • Only 21% of employers offered a traditional defined benefit pension plan that was open to all employees in 2019 (SHRM)
  • 42% of employers automatically enroll new employees into a defined contribution retirement savings plan (SHRM)
  • 93% of organizations offer traditional 401K plans, and 74% match employee 401K contributions at some level (SHRM)
  • Regarding the features of pensions, 99% of state and local employees say that receiving a monthly check is important and 98% say providing retirement income that lasts is important (NIRS)
  • 72% of state and local employees are confident they will be financially secure in retirement (NIRS)
  • 86% of state and local employees are concerned about cuts to their retirement benefits while 85% are concerned about government officials underfunding their pension (NIRS)
  • 27% of Millennial state and local employees say a compensation package without a pension is very competitive (NIRS)
  • 74% of Millennial state and local employees say a pension benefit is a major reason they chose a public sector job (NIRS)

2019 PTO, Vacation and Time Off Statistics

  • 48% of employees say taking time off for vacation causes more work-related stress than it’s worth, and 23% are unable to completely disconnect from work while on vacation (Neuvana)
  • 61% of employees feel pressure to respond to work-related communications outside of working hours (Neuvana)
  • 26% of organizations offer paid time off for volunteering (SHRM)
  • 98% of organizations provide paid vacation and sick leave (95%) to some or all employees, most commonly provided through a shared PTO bank covering both options (62%) (SHRM)
  • 6% of employers offer unlimited employee leave (SHRM)
  • About one in five organizations offer paid or unpaid leave in addition to that mandated by federal and state FMLA requirements to meet the needs of caregiving employees (SHRM)
  • 3% of employers have extended unlimited paid time off to all employees, 4% are considering it and 9% are considering offering unlimited PTO to only executives or exempt employees (Mercer)
  • Unlimited paid time off has been extended to all employees by 3% of employers (Mercer)
  • 4% of employers are considering unlimited paid time off for employees, and 9% said they are considering offering unlimited PTO to only executives or exempt employees (Mercer)
  • 52.4% of employees wished they had unlimited paid time off (Zoro)
  • One-third of employees admitted calling in sick when they weren’t ill to get out of work (O.C. Tanner)
  • 68% of employees call in sick less than once a year and 12% call in once a year (O.C. Tanner)
  • More than one-third of employees who have called in sick agreed that their work situation keeps them from being happy in other areas of their lives, and 40% of those who called in sick said they don’t trust their senior leaders (O.C. Tanner)
  • 24% of Gen X and Millennials want paid family leave compared to 19% of Gen Z (Unum)
  • 49% of Baby Boomers want generous paid time off compared to 41% of Gen X, 37% of Millennials and 21% of Gen Z (Unum)
  • Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to call in sick multiple times a year (Ginger)
  • More than one-third of workers have taken days off for mental health in the past 12 months, while 61% have taken days off for physical issues (University of Phoenix)
  • Parents with children under 18 were almost twice as likely as non-parents to take at least one mental health day per year (University of Phoenix)
  • 41% of employees have seen to their own wellness by taking mental health days (Staples)
  • Among employees that told their supervisors they were taking time off for mental health, 92% said the boss was supportive about it (Staples)
  • 76% of millennials are significantly more inclined to take a business trip if an added vacation is an option (National Car Rental)
  • 78% of bleisure-takers (adding leisure activities to business trips) say their bosses take leisure time during trips, and 76% of leisure-taking supervisors say they encourage relaxation during a business trip (National Car Rental)
  • Nearly half of bleisure-takers (adding leisure activities to business trips) feel reticent about talking to their bosses about the time off they plan to take (National Car Rental)
  • About 40% of employers offer paid parental leave for both birth and non-birth parents, up from 25% in 2015 (Mercer)
  • 9% of employees said more paid time off would most improve their job satisfaction (CNBC)
  • About 60% of employers earned a grade of C, D or F at managing employee absence and disability in the workplace (The Standard)
  • 31% of employers benchmark their absence management programs and only 33% benchmark their disability programs (The Standard)
  • More than 50% of organizations lack formal processes for return-to-work and stay-at-work programs (The Standard)
  • 25% of HR professionals report having successful absence and disability management programs (The Standard)
  • Half of workers reported missing a minimum of one workday out of a 12 month period because of stress (Ginger)
  • 34% of employers offer unpaid family leave beyond what’s required by the Family and Medical Leave Act (IFEBP)
  • Almost 60% of stay-at-home parents revealed they ultimately took more time off work than anticipated before exiting the workforce (Flexjobs)
  • 6% of parents took less time away from the workforce than they anticipated they would (Flexjobs)
  • Less than one-third of employers offering paid parental leave received an ROE boost of 2.2%, while 23% of companies offering day care services reported a 2.5% ROE advantage (JUST Capital)
  • Nearly 30% of companies disclosed a paid time off policy, but doing so did not generate an ROE advantage (JUST Capital)
  • Employees plan to take an average of 10 vacation days this year (Robert Half)
  • 58% of workers save vacation time for the summer months of June, July and August (Robert Half)
  • Cities with the most workers saving time for vacation are Los Angeles (74%), New York and Detroit (71%), and Miami (69%) (Robert Half)
  • 30% of women and 28% of men planned to take 6-10 vacation days (Robert Half)
  • Almost 76% of employees said they would rather have an extra week of PTO than company memorabilia, and 61% would even give up discounts at other businesses (Zoro)
  • The older generations were slightly more likely than millennials to want time-off benefits (Zoro)
  • After a PTO bank, the most common benefits to which workers had access were a 401(k), free coffee and partially paid medical insurance (Zoro)
  • Around 25% of workers said they receive 20-30 days of sick time or paid vacation a year, with the second most common choice being between 15-20 days (Comparably)
  • Nearly half of all workers feel burned out at work, and many feel like they can’t stop working even when they take vacations (Comparably)
  • 19% of workers reported receiving unlimited time off, and nearly a third of workers said their boss pesters them with work while they are on vacation (Comparably)
  • Around 40% of those in business development, legal and the executive suite admitted that their work is never done, even during a vacation (Comparably)
  • 37% of employees do not use all of their PTO each year (WorldatWork)
  • Organizations with use it or lose it policies had only 19% of employees lose paid time off (WorldatWork)
  • 52% of organizations said they allow immediate use of vacation time benefits, while 63% allow for immediate use of pooled vacation, sick and personal time (WorldatWork)
  • 25% of employers said their employees can redirect unused PTO to colleagues who need it (WorldatWork)
  • 58% of employees want paid family leave, 38% sabbatical leave, and 12% want dedicated volunteer hours (Unum)
  • 22% of employers offer paid time off for volunteering, 20% offer paid time off to serve on the board of a community group or professional association, and 42% offer community volunteer programs (SHRM)
  • 5% of employers offer paid sabbaticals (SHRM)

2019 Flexible Working Statistics

  • Nearly 6 in 10 working professionals work remotely once per month or more frequently; 51% of this group say working from home adds to their feelings of stress and 43% agree working from home is more stressful than working at the office (Neuvana)
  • 56% of businesses say that changing the organizational culture is the main barrier to implementing a flexible workspace policy, particularly within businesses that have a long-standing, non-flexible working approach (IWG)
  • 43% of businesses say that fear of how flexible working may impact the overall company culture is the biggest obstacle (IWG)
  • Flexible working is seen to improve the work/life balance by 82% (IWG)
  • 85% of businesses confirm that productivity has increased in their business because of greater flexibility (IWG)
  • 63% of businesses report at least a 21% improvement in productivity because of flexible working (IWG)
  • 59% of businesses said they are looking to be more agile in 2019 (IWG)
  • A third of businesses are looking to expand internationally this year and 62% say they have chosen flexible working because it accelerates speed to market in new countries (IWG)
  • 70% of businesses choose flexible working to help them to scale (IWG)
  • Flexible workspace has been chosen by 65% of businesses to reduce capital and operational expenditure (IWG)
  • 65% of businesses have adopted flexible workspace to help manage risks and to consolidate their portfolio (IWG)
  • 49% of workers spend their commute working, and as a result, 36% feel that official working hours should include time spent on their journey, as this does not constitute free time in their day (IWG)
  • Across the total U.S. workforce, remote work has grown 91% in the last 10 years (FlexJobs)
  • Compressed workweeks are now offered by one-third of organizations, and four-day workweeks of 32 hours or less per week are offered by 15% (SHRM)
  • 69% of organizations offer ad hoc telecommuting and 27% offer fulltime telecommuting (SHRM)
  • 57% of organizations offer flextime during core business hours (SHRM)
  • 90% of employees say more flexible work arrangements and schedules will increase morale (Staples)
  • Full-time workers reported being happy in their jobs 22% more than workers who are never remote (Owl Labs)
  • Remote workers reported working over 40 hours per week, 43% more than non-remote workers (Owl Labs)
  • 62% of employees work remotely at least part of the time (Owl Labs)
  • Reasons employees said they decided to work remotely include work-life balance (91%), increased productivity/better focus (79%), less stress (78%), and to avoid a commute (78%) (Owl Labs)
  • 55% of employees want flexible/remote work options (Unum)
  • 67% of employees said flexible work schedules would help them feel satisfied at work, followed by access to natural light (53%), and quiet spaces (42%) (Capital One)
  • Flexible schedules and work-at-home options ranked the highest as most preferred benefits across all age groups; paid family leave rank the lowest (Monster)
  • 74% of employees believe flexible working is now the norm (IWG)
  • 83% of employers have adopted a flexible workspace policy in the past decade (IWG)
  • More than one-third of employees say flexibility is more important than an esteemed title (IWG)
  • 52% of employees said they work offsite for at least half a workweek, and 71% said that having a choice of where they want to work is a key factor in considering career opportunities (IWG)
  • 34% of employers have a formal or informal policy in place on remote work while 64% of workers say they work remotely at least part of the time (Staples)

New call-to-action

  • 43% of U.S. employers currently offer remote work arrangements, and 49% now allow workers to set their own hours (Condeco)

  • 41% of leaders said their company already offers some form of remote working, and 60% permit employees to set their workday’s start and end times (Condeco)

  • American businesses were least likely to offer flextime (49%)(Condeco)

  • 43% of U.S. businesses plan to offer more remote work options in the upcoming year vs 9% that plan to reduce their remote work arrangements (Condeco)

  • 52% of employees say they have some choice over when they work (O.C. Tanner)

  • 74% of employees have the ability to move to different areas to do their work (O.C. Tanner)

  • 43% of employees work away from their team at least some of the time (O.C. Tanner)

  • If not managed well, the element of isolation for remote workers can result in a 21% drop in performance (O.C. Tanner)

  • 44% of employers now offer remote work options (up from 39% last year) (PayScale)

  • 37% of employers now offer flex time (PayScale)

  • 81% of employees thought a flexible job would help them be a better spouse, partner or significant other, 87% said it would give them more time to spend with family or friends and 61% of those with children or that plan to have children thought a job with work flexibility would make them a better parent (FlexJobs)

  • 89% of workers believe a flexible job would help them take better care of themselves (Flexjobs)

  • 62% of workers agree their job offers enough flexibility to have a healthy work-life balance, while 14% disagree (The Workforce Institute & Kronos)

  • 75% of those who work from home expressed a desire to continue doing so until retirement (Amerisleep)
  • 57% of remote workers were more likely than the average American to be satisfied with their job (Amerisleep)
  • Over 80% of remote workers reported high job satisfaction (Amerisleep)
  • 40% of remote employees described their day as not stressful (Amerisleep)
  • On average, people worked from home 47 hours a week but felt unproductive roughly a quarter of the time (Amerisleep)
  • About 80% of people who worked from home said they felt isolated from others at least a little of the time (Amerisleep)
  • Roughly 76% of people who worked from home reported feeling left out at least a little of the time (Amerisleep)
  • 92% of IT professionals recognized the benefits of remote work, but about the same amount said the perk comes with security risks, and more than half said the risks are greater than those for onsite workers (OpenVPN)
  • 73% of VP and C-suite IT leaders think remote workers present a greater risk than onsite employees, while only about half of IT managers and IT directors thought so (OpenVPN)
  • 48% of HR professionals reported millennials as their largest non-desk work group, but 32% said they are the hardest generation among Gen Z, Gen X and Baby Boomers to engage (Speakap)
  • 33% of Baby Boomers want flexible/remote work options compared to 31% of Gen X and 28% of Millennials (Unum)
  • 36% of parents revealed they wanted to continue working but said their jobs were too inflexible to accommodate their needs as a working parent (Flexjobs)
  • The ideal return to work situation for 90% of parents was the ability to work remotely from home (Flexjobs)
  • 45% of companies that disclosed flexible working hour policies saw a 2% ROE advantage (JUST Capital)
  • Employees’ most desired summer perks are flexible schedules (52%) and early departures on Fridays (27%) (Accountemps)
  • About half of senior managers said they offer flexible schedules, more relaxed dress code and company picnics or potlucks as summer perks (Accountemps)
  • About one-third of senior managers said workers are allowed to leave early on Fridays during the summer (Accountemps)
  • 86% of IT developers work remotely, with almost one-third working from home full time (DigitalOcean)
  • 43% of IT developers said the ability to work remotely is a must have when considering a job offer (DigitalOcean)
  • 71% of IT developers who work remotely said they feel connected to their organization’s community (DigitalOcean)
  • 29% of remote IT developers feel isolated and said they’re disengaged from their company’s culture and excluded from offline conversations with team members when working offsite (DigitalOcean)
  • 76% of IT developers expected remote work to offer more work-life balance, but many reported working longer hours and that their work-life balance was only slightly better than their onsite colleagues (DigitalOcean)
  • On a scale of 1-5, a flexible work schedule is very important to many IT developers (44%) (DigitalOcean)
  • The type of flexible work employees wanted most was 100% remote work (Flexjobs)
  • More than half of employees said job flexibility would have a positive impact on the quality of their life, and 78% said it would allow them to be healthier (Flexjobs)
  • Top reasons employees wanted flexible work schedules include work-life balance (75%), family (45%), time savings (42%), and commute stress (41%) (Flexjobs)
  • 70% of organizations now offer some type of telecommuting, either on a full-time, part-time or ad-hoc basis, up from 62% last year and 59% in 2014 (SHRM)

2019 Benefits Management Statistics

  • Two-thirds of HR leaders agree that the HR function has undergone or is undergoing a digital change (KPMG)
  • 70% of HR leaders recognize the need for workforce transformation, while 40% said they have a digital workplace at the organizational or HR level (KPMG)
  • Almost 40% of HR leaders feel very confident about HR’s ability to transform, and 35% said their company’s current culture is more task-oriented than innovative or experimental (KPMG)
  • 42% of HR leaders agree that readying the workforce for a future with AI will be one of HR’s biggest challenges during the next five years (KPMG)
  • In the next two years, 60% of HR leaders plan to invest in predictive analytics, 53% will invest in enhanced process automation and 47% in AI (KPMG)
  • 25% (up from 16% in spring of last year) of leaders perceive that existing employees have the digital talent to execute their company’s digital strategy (Deloitte)
  • 75% of leaders believe that AI, robotics and IoT are making fundamental changes within their organization (Deloitte)
  • 47% of HR professionals found managing performance and providing professional development opportunities challenging; 43% found aligning talent retention strategy with business objectives challenging; and 40% said that handling employee mergers and acquisitions was challenging (XpertHR)
  • 14% of small business owners had experience with outsourcing HR administration, and 7% didn’t know this was an option (Oasis)
  • 40% of employers outsourced or co-sourced leave administration for the Family Medical Leave Act leave in 2015 while 44% did so in 2018 (Mercer)
  • For small business owners with experience in outsourcing HR administration, the top three services most frequently outsourced were payroll administration (58%), 401(k) (42%), and benefits (40%) (Oasis)
  • Employers believe some of the most challenging issues in the year ahead are:
    • Offering competitive compensation and benefits (31%)
    • Developing employees and future leaders for succession (23%)
    • Building a positive brand and culture (20%)
    • Maintaining ongoing regulatory compliance (19%)
    • Measuring and managing employee performance (18%)
    • Creating operational efficiencies with overall HR administration (16%) (Oasis)
  • 69% of high performing talent organizations are more likely to feature clearly defined must-have and nice-to-have skills in their job descriptions (Allegis)
  • The skills gap grew by 12% last year (Wiley Education & Future Workplace)
  • Nearly two-thirds of HR leaders reported a skills gap in their organizations, up from 52% in 2018 (Wiley Education & Future Workplace)
  • Nearly a third of HR leaders attributed the skills gap to a lack of qualified candidates (Wiley Education & Future Workplace)
  • 90% of HR leaders said they’d hire a job seeker who lacks a four year college degree, though 68% said a degree is useful in validating certain skills (Wiley Education & Future Workplace)
  • 31% of employers are very satisfied with their recruitment process (Allegis)
  • Almost twice as many employers expect a budget increase for L&D initiatives this year over recent years; 43% anticipate a learning budget bump for 2019 (LinkedIn)
  • 90% of HR leaders said they now have a voice in company strategy and decision making processes – up 10% from the previous years (Paychex)
  • 47% of employers noted that controlling employee benefit costs was a top human resource priority (Gallagher)

2019 Employee Perks and Other Miscellaneous Benefits Statistics

  • Top non-insurance benefits for U.S. Workers in 2019:
    • Generous paid time off (40%)
    • Flexible/remote working options (30%)
    • Paid family leave (22%)
    • Gym memberships (21%)
    • Fitness/healthy lifestyle incentives (17%)
    • Student loan repayment benefits (14%)
    • Financial planning resources (14%)
    • Professional development (13%)
    • Onsite healthy food options (12%)
    • Sabbatical leave (11%)
    • ID theft protection (11%)
    • Employee assistance program (11%)
    • Pet friendly offices (9%) (Unum)
  • Nearly 70% of employees spend an hour or less considering their benefits at enrollment time (Colonial Life)
  • Employees who rush through their benefits choices are 23% less likely to understand their benefits moderately or very well (Colonial Life)
  • 62% of millennials are generally satisfied with their benefits (LaSalle)
  • 39% of employees rated themselves as unhappy about their rewards, 26% are happy and 33% are neutral (Peakon)
New call-to-action
  • 10.8% of workers call their manager/employer awesome and are recognized weekly and 29.4% call them pretty good and are recognized at least once a month (Achievers)

  • By recognizing small wins and efforts along the way, leaders see an 83% increase in engagement and a 136% increase in feeling like a subject matter expert at their organization (O.C. Tanner)

  • A reduction in giving and receiving recognition leads to increased odds of burnout by 45% and 48% (O.C. Tanner)

  • When there was no consistent organizational strategy for recognition in place, the odds of burnout increased by 29% (O.C. Tanner)

  • Only one third of workers received recognition the last time they went the extra mile at work, and just a quarter feel highly valued at work (TINYpulse)

  • Less than one third of employees had not received any recognition in the past two weeks and the same number said they weren’t well-recognized the last time they went the extra mile at work (TINYpulse)

  • 49% of millennials are pleased with training and development programs at their company (LaSalle)

  • 44% of employees don’t feel they have sufficient opportunities for professional growth in their current positions (TINYpulse)

  • 39% of employees want professional development (Unum)

  • A lack of learning opportunities or increase in sense of favoritism can stifle engagement and increase odds of burnout by 16% and 23% (O.C. Tanner)

  • 32% of employees were satisfied with their career advancement opportunities and 37% were satisfied with their company’s training and learning opportunities (CareerBuilder)

  • 58% of employees thought their company failed to offer enough opportunities to acquire new skills and help them advance in their career (CareerBuilder)

  • 73% of employees whose companies don’t offer education opportunities or workshops outside of work hours said they would likely participate if these learning opportunities were made available (CareerBuilder)

  • 86% of employees said it is important for employers to provide learning opportunities (Ceridian)
  • Nearly 1.4 million U.S. workers could lose their jobs over the next decade due to technological change (WEF)

  • The cost of retraining workers from current roles to new, viable, desirable and growing roles would be $34 billion in total or $24,800 per worker on average (WEF)

  • Private-sector employers could profitably reskill 25% of at-risk workers, 45% by collaborating with stakeholders and the government could assist as many as 77% of all at-risk workers (WEF)

  • Nearly 50% of companies expect automation to lead to a reduction in their full-time workforce by 2020 (WEF)

  • 27% of employees found their employers’ L&D offerings to be embedded in the organization, meaningful and useful (Intrepid)

  • Nearly a third of employees called their L&D offerings enthusiastic but off the mark (Intrepid)

  • 41% of employees rated their L&D offerings as something that ticks the box or that’s talked about by execs but never acted upon (Intrepid)

  • 14% of employees said they would like more training or learning opportunities to improve their job satisfaction (CNBC)

  • Training and development has become one of HR’s top five priorities for the first time, with more HR leaders willing to train and upskill underqualified candidates than in years prior (Paychex)

  • While 98% of employers said they have career development programs in place, there’s a disconnect as almost 80% of workers agreed they were “on their own” to navigate their career development (The Harris Poll)

  • 92% of U.S. employers offer educational benefits (IFEBP)

  • More than half of employers offer tuition assistance (SHRM)

  • 4% of employers currently offer their employees some form of assistance or incentive to repay student loans (SHRM)

  • 22% of Gen Z want student loan repayment benefits (Unum)

  • 84% of workers believe the skills or degree earned through their employer helped to prepare them for the future of work (Bright Horizons)

  • 82% of workers said their continued education, made possible by an employer’s tuition reimbursement program, made them more effective employees (Bright Horizons)

  • 64% of workers said their employer’s tuition reimbursement program made them happier at work (Bright Horizons)

  • 52% of workers said their employer’s tuition reimbursement program is among the best benefits offered at work (Bright Horizons)

  • 81% of workers said a tuition reimbursement program would make them more likely to recommend working at their organization to a friend (Bright Horizons)

  • When asked to rank the three non-traditional benefits that are most important – regardless of whether or not they’re actually offered at work – employees ranked education benefits (65%) far above wellness benefits (17%) and ranked education benefits above workplace training (21%), paid family leave (25%), and life or disability insurance (11%) (Bright Horizons)

  • 49% of workers said they would not have pursued education if their employers did not offer tuition assistance (Bright Horizons)

  • 70% of parents said their family has benefited as a result of the skills or degree they acquired while using their employer’s tuition reimbursement program (Bright Horizons)

  • 41% of Gen Z employees believe their tuition reimbursement program is the single best benefit offered by their employer, and 80% say it is among the top three voluntary benefits (Bright Horizons)

  • Of individuals who do not have existing student loan debt, nearly 60% said that their employer’s education benefits led them to seek additional education (Bright Horizons)

  • 35% of employees want student loan repayment and 27% want financial planning resources (Unum)

  • In 2019, 11% of employers offered payroll deduction for a tax-advantaged education savings plan (SHRM)

  • 56% of employers offer tuition assistance for employees pursuing degrees, and 8% offer student loan repayment assistance (SHRM)

  • 14% of organizations report increasing professional development benefits offerings this year (SHRM)

  • The most common education benefits employers offer include: tuition assistance/reimbursement (63%), in-house training seminars (61%), attendance at educational conferences (51%), continuing education courses (50%), coverage for licensing courses and exams (44%), personal development courses (35%), and 529 college savings plans (10%) (IFEBP)

  • The most common reimbursement amount to employees is $5,000 to $5,999 (IFEBP)

  • 54% of organizations have a payback requirement if the employee leaves within one year of gaining his or her education (IFEBP)

  • 1% to 5% of employees taking advantage of employer-provided tuition reimbursement (IFEBP)

  • The top 5 barriers to organizations considering offering student loan repayment benefits are high costs; uncertainty and complexity of implementation; resentment among employees who are done paying off their student loans already; resentment among employees who are in loan debt but ineligible for benefits; and employee turnover after requirements for repayment have been met (IFEBP)

  • Career Development and tuition reimbursement policies showed a 1.4% and 1.2% ROE advantage (JUST Capital)

  • Younger workers are more likely to prefer career development to more money, while the unemployed are slightly less likely to select career growth as a top priority (Jobvite)

  • While 23.4% of men wished their company offered continuing education opportunities, 28.4% of women wanted it (Zoro)

  • Nearly two-thirds of U.S. workers said they want a bigger focus on L&D in their workplaces (City & Guilds Group)

  • 70% of workers said they would likely participate in an employer-provided training program if it was offered to them (Clutch)

  • 19% of employees want tuition reimbursement for classes, 19% want classes and workshops, 13% prefer job shadowing opportunities, 12% ask for presentations from experts, and 7% want learning resources like books, videos and online courses (Clutch)

  • 50% of employees said it had been a year or more since they were last offered job retraining, 23% said it had been 6-11 months, and 27% were offered training less than six months ago (Clutch)

  • 46% of U.S. workers said their employers have provided on-the-job training in the past year, and 52% said it’s easy to access L&D at their jobs (City & Guilds Group)

  • 82% of employees said they feel “fairly well equipped” to do their current jobs, but 63% want a heavier focus on training (City & Guilds Group)

  • 62% of workers have invested personal time in training during the past year, with 30% paying for training out of pocket (City & Guilds Group)

  • About two-thirds of workers would trade their work-related data for more customized compensation, benefits and rewards and 61% would do the same for more customized learning and development opportunities (Accenture)

  • 77% of employers plan to make big investments in learning and development programs to provide workers with new skills for new roles as their businesses grow (SunTrust)

  • Private-sector employees spent an average of 34 days on learning last year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

  • Nearly 80% of private-sector workers required some form of on-the-job training in 2018 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

  • 41% of employees say their employers are training workers in preparation for the future (Axonify)

  • 76% of employees said that an employer would be more appealing if it offered additional training designed to develop their skills for the future (Axonify)

  • Almost 60% of employers will increase investments in training and development (PayScale)

  • 33% of Americans say employer-provided training doesn’t meet their expectations (Docebo)

  • One in three workers said their employer’s training is out-of-date (Docebo)

  • In the U.S., 32% of workers said training is critical (Docebo)

New call-to-action

  • In the past five years, 34% of companies increased their relocation-package offerings to top candidates beyond their geographic area (Robert Half)
  • 30% of companies don’t offer any relocation incentives (Robert Half)
  • When relocating for a job, about 26.4% of employees received some moving expenses, 15.75% help with temporary living expenses, 12.05% a discretionary expense allowance, and 8.7% a lump sum for miscellaneous expenses (Allied Van Lines)
  • 29.86% of employees relocating for work received no moving assistance at all from employers (Allied Van Lines)
  • 44% of employees cited better pay and perks as the top considerations in their decision to relocate, followed by family or personal reasons (17%), cost of living (16%) and career advancement (16%) (Robert Half)
  • 80% of Gen Z employees think they’ll need a bachelor’s degree to get their dream job but only 30% think they’ll be able to repay their student loans (InsideOut)
  • A little less than one-third of employers with 500 or more employees offer some type of fertility benefit, while 41% of employers of all sizes offer paid maternity leave and 32% offer paid paternity leave (IFEBP)
  • Paid maternity leave is offered by 34% of organizations and paid paternity leave is offered by 30% of organizations (SHRM)
  • 25% of organizations allow parents to bring children to work in an emergency (SHRM)
  • 51% of organizations offer lactation rooms, 13% offer lactation support services, and 12% offer on-ramping programs for parents returning to work (SHRM)
  • Programs addressing fertility are up 35% points from 2016 to 2018; neonatal and first year of life are both up 27% (Optum)
  • Family-friendly benefits that have seen increases during the past two years include dependent care and flexible spending accounts (+5%), resource and referral services for child care (+5%), Take Your Child to Work Day (+6%), financial assistance for adoption (+1%), and 529 education plans (+5%) (IFEBP)
  • 86% of companies that published diversity and equal opportunity policies showed an ROE advantage of 2.5% (JUST Capital)
  • Disclosure of diversity and equal opportunity targets netted a 2.4% ROE advantage (JUST Capital)
  • About 10% of workers said they’d prefer a more relaxed dress code or activities like picnics and potlucks as a summer perk (Accountemps)
  • 14% of senior managers said they do not offer any summer perks for employees (Acountemps)
  • More than half of business leaders said their companies had a corporate social responsibility program, but only 18% of employees were aware their company had a program (WSU)
  • More than 73% of employees didn’t care to have company retreats and charitable donation matching programs added to their benefits package (Zoro)
  • Millennials are the generation most likely to want in-office perks from their employer (Zoro)
  • 51% of organizations offer community volunteer programs, and 20% offered organized-sponsored sports teams (SHRM)
  • Traditional program and club benefits, like annual company outings or picnics (68%) and company paraphernalia (71%), continue to be popular and common (SHRM)
  • Electric vehicle charging stations are offered by 13% of organizations (SHRM)
  • 32% of organizations offer legal assistance (SHRM)
  • Workers are least likely to have nap breaks, unlimited PTO and a company car as benefits (Zoro)
  • 95% of workplaces provide a break room or kitchenette, 78% offer free coffee to employees, and 13% offer subsidized or free cafeterias (SHRM)
  • Transit subsidies, no longer deductible by employers, are available in about 14% of organizations (SHRM)
  • 19% of Gen Z want a pet friendly office (Unum)
  • Pets at work has grown to 11% in 2019 (SHRM)
  • Pet-related benefits, like pet health insurance, are offered by 15% of organizations (SHRM)
  • 15% of employees wants pet insurance and 15% want pet friendly offices (Unum)
  • 28% of employees want ID theft prevention and 16% want public transit assistance (Unum)
  • The most common elder-care benefits, referral service is still available at only 10% of organizations (SHRM)

Topics: Employee Engagement + Loyalty, Benefits Trends

Ashley Autry

Written by Ashley Autry

Ashley Autry is a Marketing Professional at Access Development. She's an expert proofer, gatherer of loyalty stats, research ace, writing queen, and overseer of various marketing projects.