17.06.2022

The legal requirements employers are passing off as ‘perks’

An analysis by StandOut CV of 10,800 job listings on Indeed has revealed the top and least common employee perks in the UK.

The study has uncovered the most common, and the rarest, perks being offered in 2022, and which legal requirements for employment in the UK are being disguised as a perk or benefit. You can view the full findings here: https://standout-cv.com/uk-job-perks-benefits-analysis

Key Findings

1 in 3 (33.2%) job adverts list legally required pensions as a perk of working there, while only 1.6% explicitly offer enhanced pension schemes.
1 in 10 jobs (10.9%) job adverts list ‘progression’ as a job perk where many would likely consider this an essential part of a role.
Training was revealed as the most commonly offered job perk to job hunters in 47.5% of posts
The rarest job perks are unlimited holiday allowance, as well as free tea and coffee, with both occurring in only 0.35% of job adverts.
Only 1.4% of job adverts in the UK offer enhanced parental leave.
Mental health perks were only offered in 1.46% of 10,800 job ads.
9 out of 50 (18.5%) job adverts offer discounts or shopping vouchers for employees, with chefs most likely to receive this perk (39.72%).
Marketing roles were the most likely to offer cash bonuses (26.03%) and wellness programmes (6.14%) as a perk out of any job in the analysis.
Those working in customer service roles are most likely to receive dental cover (5.98%) as a perk of the job.
Unlimited paid holiday is only offered in 0.3% of jobs in the UK, with accountants most likely to get this perk (1.45%).
The highest number of perks was found in job listings for chefs (1,440) and accountants (1,379).
Teachers (660) and quality control employees (702) statistically received the fewest job perks, in the analysis of over 10,800 job adverts.

Top 25 job perks in the UK

Training was revealed as the most commonly offered job perk to job hunters in 47.5% of posts. While training is an important part of developing in a role, it could likely be considered disingenuous by many jobseekers who consider it an essential part of any job - not a perk.

Pensions were the second most mentioned job perk in 33.2% of adverts. Pensions are probably one of the most important job benefits in the long term, and they probably should not be considered a perk given they are a lawful requirement, with employers required to contribute a minimum of 3% towards all their employees' pensions since 2012, as a result of the delayed Pension Act 2008.

This is, however, different to those businesses that increase their pension contributions outside of the legal minimum. In this instance, only 1.6% of job adverts explicitly mentioned the offer of such a benefit.

Below are the top 25 job perks listed in UK job adverts ranked by the frequency they occurred in the review of over 10,800 listings:

Rank	Perks	Percentage of Job Listings Containing This Perk
1	Training	47.49%
2	Pension	33.21%
3	Discounts	18.48%
4	Bonus	17.73%
5	Remote working	16.79%
6	Flexible working	12.88%
7	Car parking	11.70%
8	Progression	10.94%
9	Equipment	7.23%
10	Private healthcare	5.41%
11	Gym membership	4.32%
12	Wellness programmes	3.74%
13	Sick pay	3.70%
14	Dental	3.16%
15	Company events	3.13%
16	Eye test	2.05%
17	Enhanced pension	1.64%
18	Mental health support	1.46%
19	Enhanced parental leave	1.41%
20	Casual clothing	1.25%
21	Childcare options	0.87%
22	Birthday day off	0.85%
23	Charity day	0.72%
24	Unlimited holiday	0.35%
25	Free tea/coffee	0.35%

Rarest job perks and benefits in the UK

The rarest job perks for Brits are unlimited holiday allowance, as well as free tea and coffee, with both occurring in only 0.35% of job adverts. While free drinks might not be the biggest perk in a job role, many want to take advantage of “unlimited” holidays, which is ultimately down to the employer’s discretion.

In the UK, accountants are most likely to have access to unlimited holidays (1.45%) followed by marketers (1.07%).

Here are the 10 rarest perks found in UK job listings:

Unlimited holiday allowance (0.35%)
Free tea & coffee (0.35%)
Charity days/volunteer time (0.72%)
Birthday day off (0.85%)
Free/discounted childcare (0.87%)
Casual dress/clothing (1.25%)
Enhanced parental leave (1.41%)
Mental health support (1.46%)
Enhanced pension contributions (1.41%)
Eye tests and eyewear contributions (2.05%)

While 5.41% of job adverts offer private healthcare, only 1.46% mentioned mental health support specifically. With poor mental health being the biggest reason people quit their jobs during The Great Resignation, this job perk is more important than ever.

While free eye tests and eyewear payments might sound like a good perk, it’s actually a legal requirement for millions of employees in the UK.

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