TORONTO, March 22, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Two-thirds of Canadian companies (66%) say it is impossible to offer all the benefits employees want, but the real issue may be that the benefits being offered by employers are not what jobseekers want, according to a new survey from The Harris Poll commissioned by Express Employment Professionals.
Flexibility remains in-demand, with jobseekers saying flexible work hours (64%), the ability to work remotely (56%) and a shortened work week (40%) are the benefits they want most. However, only a minority of employers currently offer flexible work hours (44%), the ability to work remotely (35%), and a shortened work week (22%).
Part of the desire for flexibility in work location and shortened work week comes from the increased cost of commuting, as nearly two-thirds of employed Canadians (63%) say they would quit their job if they could find something closer to home due to the high cost of commuting (e.g., gas prices, public transit fares).
Despite this strong desire by jobseekers for more work flexibility, the majority of companies expect benefits will remain the same in 2023 (62%). While some companies do plan to increase benefits this year (28%), they expect to mostly improve their traditional benefits and not the non-traditional benefits Canadian jobseekers clearly favour.
About half of companies (51%) say they have already improved their benefits in recent years in hopes of retaining employees and attracting new ones. However, improved benefits have again focused on traditional categories such as improved sick leave (20%) or additional health care benefits such as gym memberships (17%)—not the flexible work options workers prefer.
“Finding qualified employees continues to be a challenge, and from these statistics, it’s clear job seekers value flexibility in their careers,” Express Employment International CEO Bill Stoller said. “Benefits play an important part in a healthy and dedicated company culture, and even small offerings can go a long way toward recruiting and retention in this competitive environment.”
Survey Methodology
The Job Insights survey was conducted online within Canada by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals between Dec. 1 and Dec. 15, 2022, among 506 Canadian hiring decision-makers (defined as adults ages 18+ in Canada who are employed full-time or self-employed, work at companies with more than one employee, and have full/significant involvement in hiring decisions at their company). Data were weighted where necessary by company size to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in our surveys. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within + 4.6 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest.
The omnibus survey was conducted online within Canada by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals from Dec. 13-15, 2022, among 1,050 adults ages 18 and older. Data are weighted where necessary by age, gender, race/ethnicity, region, education, marital status, household size, household income and propensity to be online, to bring them in line with their actual proportions in the population. Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in our surveys. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within + 3.8 percentage points using a 95% confidence level.
If you would like to arrange for an interview to discuss this topic, please contact Ana Curic at (613) 858-2622 or email Ana@MapleLeafStrategies.com.
About Bill Stoller
William H. "Bill" Stoller is chairman and chief executive officer of Express Employment International. Founded in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the international staffing franchisor supports the Express Employment Professionals franchise and related brands. The Express franchise brand is an industry-leading, international staffing company with franchise locations in the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
About Express Employment Professionals
At Express Employment Professionals, we’re in the business of people. From job seekers to client companies, Express helps people thrive and businesses grow. Our international network of franchises offers localized staffing solutions to the communities they serve across the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, employing 579,000 people globally in 2022 and more than 10 million since its inception. For more information, visit ExpressPros.com/CA.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9abb61ac-d3f0-4ae2-8e65-77040df6c064
