New research has found that one in 50 open job vacancies across UK industries offer share schemes as a perk, ahead of National Share Scheme Day.
The findings, as part of the ‘Employee Benefits Index’ created by sharetech platform Vestd, analysed over 130,000 job vacancies to find the most common employee benefits across 30 industries. Each industry was given a weighted score of 100 based on the percentage of jobs that had each benefit. The higher the score, the better the benefits package offered in the industry.
The research found that the motoring and automotive industry dominated in employee share scheme provision, with a perfect score of 100, with one in ten vacancies found to include share schemes. The sector also emerged with the highest ranking for its overall benefits provision, scoring 704 out of a possible 2,000.
The findings come ahead of National Share Scheme Day (Thursday 22 May), with research finding 93% of business leaders agreed that sharing ownership supported recruitment, while 45% believed share schemes make it easier to attract talent.
Ranking close behind in second place was the security and safety sector, with a score of 98 out of 100 from over a tenth of current vacancies offering share schemes.
More unexpectedly, the retail industry placed third with a score of 66, with 7% of open positions advertising the perk, over a third of which were Save as You Earn (SAYE) schemes. This indicates that even traditionally high-turnover sectors are starting to recognise the value of equity-based schemes for talent recruitment and retention.
Elsewhere, the education sector was found to be falling behind in its benefits offerings, ranking last with no current evidence of share scheme offerings across its 19,500 vacancies – the highest of all industries.
Health and medical followed closely behind with a score of just 1 out of 100, while creative sectors like media, digital, and creative, along with the social care industry, scored a total of just 3.
Despite operating in highly competitive labour markets, industries such as legal, IT, marketing and PR, and telecoms all scored below 10, suggesting an urgent need for more strategic benefits offerings.
Top ten sectors offering share schemes
Industry | Employee benefits score |
Motoring and Automotive | 100 |
Security and Safety | 98 |
Retail | 66 |
Energy | 65 |
Hospitality and Catering | 64 |
Leisure and tourism | 47 |
FMCG | 42 |
Construction and property | 33 |
Customer service | 28 |
Banking | 27 |
Ifty Nasir, founder and CEO of Vestd, commented on the research:
“Too many businesses still see employee benefits as a cost, not a competitive edge. But in today’s tight hiring market, that mindset can be a liability that places businesses at risk of falling behind in both attraction and retention of key talent.
“Our ‘Employee Benefits Index’ data shows that just one in 50 of overall UK job vacancies offer equity-based schemes – rising to 10% in top sectors like motoring and automotive. Even high-turnover industries like retail are shifting, with 7% of roles now including equity-based perks. Meanwhile, sectors like education and healthcare, where equity offerings were largely absent, notably ranked among the lowest for overall benefits and employee retention.
“On National Share Scheme Day, it’s clear: embedding ownership in reward strategies isn’t optional, but essential. If businesses are serious about attracting talent, improving retention, and building a culture of shared long-term success, then equity must become part of the conversation.”
