Benefits

Benefits provision across European financial services is largely standard, with core offerings such as health insurance and additional pension contributions widely established, which limits their impact on hiring. In contrast, benefits that directly influence quality of life, such as enhanced parental leave, are less prevalent despite carrying greater weight in decision-making. For employers looking to optimise their benefits packages to support improved hiring and retention outcomes, strategy should focus on alignment with candidate priorities and local market expectations.

QUESTION 20

Do you get any of the following benefits in your current package? Select all that apply:

66%

Health insurance

64%

Employer pension contributions beyond legal minimum entitlements

46%

Staff discount schemes (including gym/wellbeing memberships, and retail/entertainment discounts)

35%

Dental insurance

29%

Extra holiday on top of your annual leave (including charity days, birthday leave, or anniversary leave)

23%

Stock options/equity

20%

Parental leave beyond legal minimum requirements

15%

Travel allowance (including a car park allowance, fuel, flights, or train fares)

13%

Profit sharing

9%

Company car

9%

Education sponsorship

7%

Childcare allowance

5%

Tuition reimbursement

3%

Housing allowance

2%

Children's school allowance

QUESTION 21

How many days of annual leave (excluding public holidays and weekends) do you get in your current package?

0%

Less than 7 days

0%

7-13 days

0%

14-20 days

0%

21-27 days

0%

28-35 days

0%

36 days+

0%

Unlimited

“In the Netherlands, the 36-hour contract is such a standard part of what large financial institutions offer that candidates factor it in when they are evaluating a move. Someone leaving will want to maintain that structure, which means a new employer needs to be able to match it or compensate elsewhere. The ability to offer an indefinite employment contract from the outset, rather than beginning with a fixed-term arrangement, is another strong differentiator in that market. These market-specific norms are exactly the kind of thing that can catch international employers off guard when they are trying to hire locally.”