Benefits

The most commonly offered benefits in 2026 remain at consistent levels from 2025. Their presence will not win candidates, but their absence will lose them.

Employers looking to stand out should look beyond the top tier. For example, stock options (22%), education sponsorship (20%), and wellbeing memberships (32%) are valued by candidates but far from universal, and offer a genuine point of differentiation in competitive offers.

QUESTION 20

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

84%

Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g. 401 (k))

82%

Medical coverage

79%

Dental cover

36%

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

29%

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

26%

Stock options/equity

26%

Tuition reimbursement

23%

Parental leave beyond legal minimum requirements

13%

Profit sharing

13%

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

9%

Education sponsorship

8%

Additional pension

8%

Social security benefits

5%

Childcare allowance

3%

Company car

Annual Leave

Annual leave in U.S. financial services clusters around the 14-27 day range, although unlimited PTO now accounts for a significant share. This reflects the broader trend of firms moving toward flexibility-based policies, and while that suits some professionals, it carries real risk if not managed intentionally: without a defined floor, the cultural pressure to minimize leave can erode the benefit completely. For professionals evaluating an offer, asking specifically how much leave people actually take - not just what is offered - is the more useful data point.

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

“Unlimited PTO always looks like a great benefit on the surface, but in practice it sends mixed signals. People with unlimited leave often end up taking less than they would with a defined number of days - there’s no clear floor to push against. If you’re going to offer it, you have to actively build a culture where people feel genuinely able to take time off, or the benefit is more of a headline than a reality.”