Fewer than one in ten UK job ads offer financial wellbeing benefits 

Fewer than 10 per cent of UK job adverts include financial wellbeing benefits, according to research from Access PayWise+, highlighting a growing gap between employee need and employer provision. 

The analysis, carried out by Access PayWise+, part of business software company The Access Group, reviewed job descriptions across 30 UK sectors and more than 20 types of financial wellbeing benefit, ranging from pay enhancements to family, lifestyle and retirement support. 

Despite rising concern about the impact of money worries at work, the findings suggest financial wellbeing is still not being treated as a core element of employee support. One in three employees say financial stress affects their performance, yet only around half of employers report having a financial wellbeing strategy in place. 

The research found that, on average, fewer than 10 per cent of job ads included benefits from even the most common category, financial compensation and pay enhancements. Mentions were largely limited to overtime and bonus schemes rather than broader, structured support. 

Life assurance was the most frequently listed individual benefit, but still appeared in just under 6 per cent of job ads on average, underlining how rarely financial wellbeing is reflected in recruitment messaging. 

The findings sit uneasily alongside growing recognition that financial security is becoming a central pillar of workplace wellbeing. Last year, The Well Crowd highlighted financial wellbeing as one of the defining issues shaping employer responsibility in 2026, as rising living costs, debt and insecurity increasingly affect employees’ mental health, engagement and retention. 

There were sharp differences between sectors. Motoring and automotive ranked highest overall for financial wellbeing support, placing in the top ten for six of the seven benefit categories assessed. Training, security and safety, social care and energy also ranked highly. 

By contrast, education ranked lowest overall. Recruitment consultancy, admin, secretarial and PA roles, and media, digital and creative jobs were also among the least generous sectors, consistently scoring at or near the bottom across multiple benefit categories. 

Abhishek Agrawal, at Access PayWise+, said employers were missing a clear opportunity to improve performance and loyalty. 

“Employers offering stronger financial wellbeing support are likely to see higher productivity, loyalty and stronger talent attraction,” he said. “Yet with only 6 per cent of job ads in 2025 offering even the most common benefit, life assurance, there is clear room for improvement. 

“Simple, low-cost steps such as cycle-to-work schemes, life assurance or earned wage access can help staff manage everyday costs. Our research shows 80 per cent of employees using earned wage access feel more loyal to their employer, yet it is still rarely offered.” 

The study grouped benefits into seven categories, including financial compensation and pay enhancements, insurance and protection, lifestyle support, health and wellbeing, family and parental benefits, retirement and savings, and work from home flexibility. 

The data is based on an analysis of job descriptions published on Reed and is correct as of September 2025.