Only one in four job advertisements make any reference to employee benefits and just 16% state whether membership of pension scheme is part of the employment package, research has found.
Based on a sample of 1,000 recruitment adverts, consultancy Watson Wyatt found that while more than 70% provided some details of salary, just 25% made any reference to the employee benefits on offer such as pensions, health insurance and bonuses.
The study follows research last month which found that two-thirds of employees would prefer to see full details of the employment package listed in job advertisements.
Of the 16% of adverts that made some reference to pensions, a third said they had a defined benefit (final salary) scheme, while 9% mentioned a defined contribution scheme. Advertisements for lower paid jobs were more likely to mention pensions than higher paid jobs.
Higher paid jobs (more than £30,000) tended only to mention pensions when they were able to offer a final salary scheme.
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Gary Smith, a senior consultant at Watson Wyatt, said: “Employees traditionally under-value the benefits – and in particular the pension benefits – provided by their employer. Perhaps some employers are guilty of encouraging this by not highlighting the benefits they offer at the earliest possible stage in their relationship with potential recruits.
“HR professionals and recruiters might consider how they could do more to leverage competitive advantage out of their employee benefits schemes.”
