Legal employers are advertising more workplace perks than any other sector, according to an analysis of 8,714 UK job adverts by Reward Gateway | Edenred.
The study examined permanent vacancies across 37 industries, recording 75 predefined perks in each listing, from private healthcare and pensions to flexible working, bonuses and additional holiday.
Legal leads, while engineering lags
Legal roles recorded 163 advertised perks per 100 jobs sampled, placing the sector first in the ranking. Accountancy came second and charity third, with the latter showing how benefits can help employers compete when they cannot always match corporate salaries.
At the other end of the table, graduate training and internships offered 39 perks per 100 jobs sampled. Manufacturing followed on 58.98, while engineering ranked third from bottom on 59.13 perks per 100 jobs.
That gap is particularly notable for engineering. The sector had 6,975 live vacancies in the analysis – more than any other industry covered – yet it remains one of the least generous in its advertised benefits. Reward Gateway | Edenred points to wider recruitment pressure, with 76% of engineering employers saying they struggle to recruit into key roles.
Benefits are becoming part of the hiring offer
The findings land as jobseekers face greater uncertainty, while employers look for new ways to attract and retain people. Reward Gateway | Edenred cites research suggesting that, after salary, better benefits are the second most important consideration for UK jobseekers.
In legal, firms are increasingly competing on benefits as well as pay: 93% are said to provide pension contributions above the statutory minimum and 96% offer private medical insurance. The charity sector, meanwhile, often competes with time off, flexible hours, sabbaticals and lower-cost benefits such as season-ticket loans and cycle-to-work schemes.
“Pay might get a candidate’s attention, but benefits, flexibility and wellbeing are increasingly what make them stay.”
Chris Britton, People Experience Director at Reward Gateway | Edenred, said: “There’s a persistent assumption that a strong salary will always win the war for talent. But our research tells a more nuanced story, with industries like the charity sector offering some of the best perks alongside an average salary.”
Chris Britton, People Experience Director, Reward Gateway | Edenred
How the analysis was carried out
Reward Gateway | Edenred sampled up to 260 permanent listings in each job category on Reed.co.uk, removing duplicates to leave 8,714 adverts. Each listing was reviewed for mentions of 75 predefined perks. The “perks per 100 jobs” figure is based on perk mentions per listing sampled, rather than on the total number of vacancies.
Submitted by Bex on behalf of Reward Gateway | Edenred
