Nearly two-thirds (62 per cent) of Canadian employers say they aren’t making changes to their benefits plans in 2023, according to a new survey by the Harris Poll on behalf of Express Services Inc.
The survey, which polled more than 500 employers and more than 1,000 employees, found while more than a quarter (28 per cent) of employers said they plan to increase benefits this year, this group mostly expects to improve their traditional benefits offerings.
In addition, 51 per cent of employers said they’ve already improved their benefits plans in recent years, these improvements focused on traditional benefits categories such as enhanced sick leave (20 per cent) or additional health-care benefits like gym memberships (17 per cent).
Read: Canadian employers expanding fertility benefits to include egg freezing
Employees indicated a preference for non-traditional benefits or perks, including flexible work hours (64 per cent), remote working (56 per cent) and a shortened workweek (40 per cent). By comparison, just 44 per cent of employers said they offer flexible work hours, while even fewer said they offer remote working (35 per cent) or a shortened work week (22 per cent).
“Finding qualified employees continues to be a challenge and, from these statistics, it’s clear job seekers value flexibility in their careers,” said Bill Stoller, chief executive officer at Express Services, in a press release. “Benefits play an important part in a healthy and dedicated company culture and even small offerings can go a long way towards recruiting and retention in this competitive environment.”
Read: Maintaining benefits during inflation key to providing stability for employees, says expert