PULSE BENEFITS SURVEY
by Calibre Search
STRATEGIC WORKFORCE INTELLIGENCE FOR THE CONSTRUCTION, PROPERTY & CONSULTING INDUSTRY
Summer 2025
INTRODUCTION
"Smart employers align their benefits offerings with the people at the career stages they want to hire."
The key to company growth is its people. Attracting and retaining high-quality staff leads to better service, which drives success and expansion.
The Construction, Property & Consulting sector continues to face significant skills shortages, meaning companies must work harder to both attract and retain their best people.
Whilst companies are often tethered to salary bandings and types of work; benefits can be tailored to really stand out. Across different career levels in the sector, job motivations do vary. Armed with this information, companies can tailor their benefits to most suit their target level.
Our role as a Talent Partner is to help our clients and partners navigate the changing and volatile modern workforce - we're here to help our partners with their short and long-term workforce planning.
To better understand what truly matters to professionals at different career stages, we surveyed almost 300 people in the Construction, Property and Consulting Sector, across multiple disciplines and locations. We split the analysis by career experience and seniority level – Executives, Managers, Intermediates and Early-Career professionals.
The central question we asked was: On a scale of 1-5, when considering an employer, how would you rate the importance of certain benefits? With 1 having no impact on decision-making and 5 being a deal breaker.
KEY INSIGHTS
Those seeking new roles prioritise additional flexible working options above almost all other benefits.
Executives are open to roles across different types of companies, driven primarily by the pursuit of new challenges.
All benefits hold similar levels of importance, suggesting that a 'pick and mix' approach to benefits may be the most effective recruitment strategy.
Candidates are less likely to want to change jobs at present - only 17% are actively looking for new opportunities.
For Intermediate-Level Professionals, personal development remains a key focus as they look to build and advance their careers.
Managers are more inclined to stay put, perhaps prioritising the protection of their existing flexible working arrangements.
Due to a small percentage of the market actively looking for a new role, employers must offer a compelling reason for people to leave one company and join another.
Early-Career employees rank all benefits highly, viewing them as fundamental components of a standard package rather than optional perks.
Those seeking new roles prioritise additional flexible working options above almost all other benefits.
Executives are open to roles across different types of companies, driven primarily by the pursuit of new challenges.
All benefits hold similar levels of importance, suggesting that a 'pick and mix' approach to benefits may be the most effective recruitment strategy.
Candidates are less likely to want to change jobs at present - only 17% are actively looking for new opportunities.
For Intermediate-Level Professionals, personal development remains a key focus as they look to build and advance their careers.
Managers are more inclined to stay put, perhaps prioritising the protection of their existing flexible working arrangements.
Due to a small percentage of the market actively looking for a new role, employers must offer a compelling reason for people to leave one company and join another.
Early-Career employees rank all benefits highly, viewing them as fundamental components of a standard package rather than optional perks.
MARKET OVERVIEW
Across all career levels, there is a noticeable trend of lower job-seeking activity, with only 17% of those surveyed rated themselves 5/5 for actively job-hunting. This suggests that many professionals, particularly, are currently prioritising stability.
While salary remains important, there is a clear shift towards work-life balance as a top factor for candidates looking for new jobs in the sector. This trend is consistent across all seniority levels, indicating a fundamental change in what professionals value most.
"Employers looking to attract top passive talent must offer exceptional packages, strong financial incentives, and a compelling work environment to encourage movement."
Company size preferences vary significantly by career stage, with executives showing more openness to different company sizes than their junior counterparts. This suggests that more senior professionals are motivated by the challenge and opportunity rather than the organisation's size or prestige.
The current market conditions require employers to be more strategic about their benefits offerings, particularly when trying to attract passive candidates who are not actively seeking new opportunities.
EARLY-CAREER PROFESSIONALS
They rank all benefits highly, indicating that they view them as an essential part of the standard package rather than additional perks...
Looking For Work
Just 22% of early-career professionals are actively job hunting - surprisingly low for those starting their careers. On the flip side, with only 34% reporting they are extremely happy in their current roles, many could likely be enticed away with the right opportunity.
What Early-Career Professionals Are Looking For
- Flexible working and holiday entitlement were rated 4.3 and 3.9, confirming work-life balance as the top priority for early career professionals. Personal development (3.8) was also a clear focus, with candidates at this level expecting support and progression from the outset.
- Healthcare services, sickness cover and parental policies (all 3.5) were more important to this group than to others, though they did not influence decisions as strongly. Diversity (3.4), corporate responsibility and environmental impact (both 3.2) were relevant, but not deciding factors when considering a role.
- Pension contributions and insurance policies (3.3) were moderately important. Gym memberships, volunteer days and professional fees (3.1) were rated lowest, suggesting these benefits have limited impact at this stage.
- Benefits scores were more closely grouped than at other seniority levels, pointing to an expectation that a wide range of support should be part of the offer, not seen as extras.
INTERMEDIATE PROFESSIONALS
Personal Development Is Important As They Build Their Careers
Looking for Work
Currently, only 15% of respondents at the intermediate professional level are actively looking for work, suggesting that most professionals at this stage are prioritising stability and might be hesitant to change roles.
This is lower than in previous years and previous research we have undertaken, highlighting how 'slow' the candidate market has become
What Intermediate Professionals Are Looking For
- Flexible working/hybrid work arrangements (4.3/5) and holiday entitlement (3.9/5) ranked as the most important benefits for intermediate professionals, highlighting that work-life balance is a top priority at this career stage, consistent with other levels surveyed.
- Personal development ranked highly (3.8/5) - the third highest priority - and was scored higher by intermediate-level professionals than any other group included in this survey. This reinforces that employees at this stage are still actively looking for ways to advance in their careers and value employers who invest in their growth.
- Access to healthcare services (3.3/5) and enhanced sickness cover (3.2/5) were ranked as moderately important, as were pension contributions (3.2/5) and insurance policies (3.1/5).
- Corporate responsibility (3.0/5), diversity (3.0/5), and environmental impact (2.9/5) were noted as relevant. But interestingly, these factors received lower ratings than those seen in the managers surveyed.
- As with all career levels surveyed, peripheral company benefits - gym memberships, volunteer days, and professional fees (2.9/5) - ranked lowest in importance.
MANAGERS
Staying Put To Protect Their Benefits?
Looking for Work
The majority of Manager-Level candidates in our survey expressed a preference for working in larger organisations, with over 80% indicating they would only consider medium (50 to 249 employees) or large companies (250+ employees) when looking for work.
Currently, only 19% of respondents at the manager level are actively looking for work, suggesting that most managers are prioritising stability and might be hesitant to change roles in the current market.
This reflects what we are seeing in the wider market across disciplines and seniority levels. To attract passive management talent, employers must get the basics right and offer a strong benefits package. Because most are not actively looking, methods like advertising are going to be less successful and more proactive approaches must be used.
WHAT MANAGERS ARE LOOKING FOR
Flexible Working is the top priority for managers, rated 4.3 out of 5. Many are staying in their roles to protect this benefit, making flexibility one of the strongest levers for attracting and retaining talent.
Additional Holiday and Enhanced Pension Contributions scored 3.8 and 3.5, reflecting the priorities of experienced professionals seeking time off and long-term value. Adjusting these benefits can strengthen appeal.
Healthcare Access, Sickness Cover, and Insurance Policies scored between 3.2 and 3.4. While valued, they are often less influential than flexibility or time off.
Sustainability, Diversity and Environmental Impact were rated between 3.0 and 3.3. These are appreciated but rarely drive career moves.
- Gym Memberships, Volunteer Days and Enhanced Parental Policies were rated lowest, with scores from 2.6 to 2.8. These perks carry less weight for managers in today’s market.
Flexible Working is the top priority for managers, rated 4.3 out of 5. Many are staying in their roles to protect this benefit, making flexibility one of the strongest levers for attracting and retaining talent.
Additional Holiday and Enhanced Pension Contributions scored 3.8 and 3.5, reflecting the priorities of experienced professionals seeking time off and long-term value. Adjusting these benefits can strengthen appeal.
Healthcare Access, Sickness Cover, and Insurance Policies scored between 3.2 and 3.4. While valued, they are often less influential than flexibility or time off.
Sustainability, Diversity and Environmental Impact were rated between 3.0 and 3.3. These are appreciated but rarely drive career moves.
- Gym Memberships, Volunteer Days and Enhanced Parental Policies were rated lowest, with scores from 2.6 to 2.8. These perks carry less weight for managers in today’s market.