Nearly a fifth (18%) of job adverts have promoted at least one legal entitlement as a benefit, according to research by Reward Gateway | Edenred.
Its analysis of 9,646 job adverts and the salary information they advertise also found that 1,009 organisations listed providing water as an employee benefit, while coffee made 553 appearances. Some mentioned snacks (46), fruit (32), casual dress (35), and pizza (12) as perks.
Meanwhile, 457 employers mentioned training and 336 organisations listed 28 days of annual leave, the minimum legal requirement, as a perk. The industries most likely to do so were charity (63), social care (57) and sales (55).
In addition, law firms ranked joint top for listing statutory sick pay and statutory maternity leave as perks.
Furthermore, 30% of the advertised jobs did not disclose any salary information, with the industries most likely to do this being strategy and consultancy (205), estate agents (154) and manufacturing (143).
Industries with the most transparent salary information were retail (256), catering (247), social care (247) and charity (242).
Almost a fifth (17%) of the jobs advertised had a set salary and 53% advertised pay ranges. Across all job levels, the average gap between the bottom and top of salary bands advertised in job listings was £9,887.
The top three industries with the widest advertised salary bands were estate agents (£43,274), law (£30,103) and insurance (£20,921). This is because pay varies within the same roles and career stages within these industries.
Chris Britton, people experience director at Reward Gateway | Edenred, said: “It’s surprising that nearly one in five job ads still promote basic legal entitlements as perks and that salary transparency remains limited, with 30% of adverts providing no pay information.
“However, improving transparency is vital to helping both employers and employees. It enables candidates to make informed career decisions, while helping businesses attract and retain top talent. Businesses should prioritise delivering meaningful benefits that support financial, physical, and emotional wellbeing, rather than repackaging minimal offerings to make roles appear more attractive.”
