Spotlight for Recruiting Professionals
Is your organization offering the benefits that candidates are seeking? If it is providing employees with a company-matched 401(k) retirement plan and dental insurance, it indeed is offering the benefits new hires are most seeking, according to results of NACE’s 2016 Recruiting Benchmarks Survey.
Students responding to NACE’s 2016 Student Survey rated company-matched 401(k) retirement plan (62.6 percent rated this benefit as “very important” or “extremely important”), dental insurance (59.6 percent), 100 percent employer-paid medical (53.2 percent), and tuition reimbursement (51.9 percent) highest among the benefits they are seeking. They also rated guaranteed annual salary increases (51.4 percent), family friendly benefits (50.3 percent), and life insurance (50.1 percent) highly.
Meanwhile, among employers responding to NACE’s 2016 Recruiting Benchmarks Survey, nearly 94 percent offered company-matched 401(k) retirement plan (62.6 percent), dental insurance, and life insurance. (See Figure 1.) Tuition reimbursement and family friendly benefits were both offered by 80.5 percent of employers.
However, 100 percent employer-paid medical insurance and guaranteed annual salary increases were ranked among the benefits that were least offered by employers at just 7.5 percent and 13.8 percent, respectively.
NACE’s 2016 Recruiting Benchmarks Survey was conducted from May 24, 2016, to August 31, 2016, among NACE employer members; 233, or 24.6 percent, responded. Highlights from the 2016 Recruiting Benchmarks Survey are available on NACEWeb. Participating members can access the full report through MyNACE.
Figure 1: Employer-offered benefits vs. student importance
| Benefit |
Percentage of Employers Offering |
Percentage of Students Rated Importance* |
| Life insurance |
93.7% |
50.1% |
| Dental insurance |
93.7% |
59.6% |
| Company match for 401(k) retirement plan |
93.7% |
62.6% |
| Employee assistance counseling program |
84.9% |
22.4% |
| Tuition reimbursement |
80.5% |
51.9% |
| Family friendly benefits |
80.5% |
50.3% |
| Bonus commission plan |
66.7% |
37.7% |
| Casual dress policy |
62.9% |
22.2% |
Frequent performance reviews
more than once per year |
61.6% |
31.0% |
| More than two weeks of vacation for first year |
54.7% |
35.1% |
| On-site fitness center |
54.1% |
18.4% |
| Flextime policy |
50.3% |
33.3% |
| Telecommuting option |
41.5% |
18.8% |
| Guaranteed annual salary increases |
13.8% |
51.4% |
| On-site daycare facilities |
8.8% |
11.8% |
| 100 percent employer-paid medical |
7.5% |
53.2% |
* Importance is defined as graduating seniors entering the work force who narrated these benefits as “very important” and “extremely important” in NACE’s 2016 Student Survey |
Source: 2016 Recruiting Benchmarks Survey, National Association of Colleges and Employers