Work perks | Pay still matters, but are benefits becoming the real retention battleground?

Salary may still top the list of reasons employees look elsewhere, but new research suggests employers overlooking benefits could be making a costly mistake.

Among the 56% of employees who applied for a new role in the past year, 59% said higher pay motivated their search – but not far behind, 45% said better benefits were a key reason for wanting to leave. That puts perks and support packages firmly alongside salary as one of the biggest retention levers available to employers.

The findings, from isolved’s Voice of the Workforce 2026 report, paint a picture of a workforce that is broadly content yet increasingly open to testing the market. Despite 90% of employees saying they are happy with their employment situation, more than half (56%) applied for a new job in the past year and 59% plan to do so in the next 12 months.

Benefits are now part of total pay

For HR leaders, the message is clear: competitive salaries alone are no longer enough. Employees increasingly view benefits not as an added extra, but as part of the overall deal.