Employer pension contributions are being overlooked by the majority of workers when weighing up a new job, according to research by Which?, which describes workplace pensions as ‘a massively neglected employee benefit’. A survey carried out by Deltapoll in August found that fewer than a third of working adults would rank employer pension contributions among the three most important benefits when considering a job offer.
The figure stands at just 31%. By comparison, paid sick pay was cited by 53% of respondents, while flexible working hours and holiday allowance both scored 45%. In other words, most job hunters are far more focused on what they can see on day one than on what quietly builds up over decades.
Why employer pension contributions overlooked so often
Which? Money editor Sam Richardson said the scale of the problem goes beyond job-hunting habits. ‘Our latest research shows that workplace pensions are a massively neglected employee benefit, with almost half of workers we surveyed unsure how much their employer is currently contributing to their pot,’ he said. Nearly half (46%) of people paying into a defined contribution (DC) workplace pension, which is a pot that builds up based on what you and your employer pay in, did not know how much their employer contributed.
Richardson described the gap in awareness as a missed financial opportunity. ‘Every extra pound that your employer chips in can really add up in the long run, but is often a chunk of salary that lots of us overlook,’ he said. ‘A more generous employer pension is effectively a silent pay rise.’
Under the automatic enrolment rules that apply to most UK workplaces, a minimum of 8% of qualifying earnings must go into an employee’s pension, with the employer required to contribute at least 3% of that total. Pension contributions also benefit from tax relief, which means the government is effectively topping up what you put in. Employees and employers can both contribute above the minimum, and many employers do.
The age gap in pension awareness
The survey reveals a wide generational split. Nearly half (49%) of workers aged 55 to 64 said employer pension contributions would be among the top three benefits they would weigh up, compared with just 11% of Gen Z adults aged 18 to 24. The most common reason given by those unlikely to consider pension contributions was straightforward: retirement feels a long way off.
That attitude may be understandable, but Which? points out that giving a pension more time to grow can substantially boost its eventual value. Starting to pay attention early is, in that sense, one of the most practical financial decisions a younger worker can make.
Separate UK research adds another layer to the picture. A survey of 2,000 UK employees conducted in February 2026 by Ciphr found that 54% of employees value pension contribution matching, where an employer increases its contributions to match whatever extra the employee pays in. That is a considerably higher proportion than the 31% Which? found would treat employer contributions as a top-three priority when job hunting, suggesting many workers may appreciate the benefit in principle without actively seeking it out when they change roles.
The picture looks somewhat different from the employer side of the table. According to the SHRM 2024 Annual Benefits Survey, retirement savings and planning benefits were rated as ‘extremely important’ or ‘very important’ to their workforces by 81% of employers surveyed, tying for second place with leave benefits. Employers, it seems, rate pensions more highly as a workforce benefit than many employees do when choosing where to work.
What workers can do now
Richardson’s advice for anyone currently job hunting is to ask about pensions at the outset, not as an afterthought. ‘Taking just five minutes to check what your workplace scheme entails, and whether your employer offers contribution matching, could really pay dividends in the long run,’ he said.
For those already in a role, Pensions UK regularly updates its retirement living standards to give a general idea of how much savings may be needed for different types of retirement. The government-backed Pension Wise service also offers guidance to people approaching retirement, and most pension providers offer digital calculators to help estimate the size of pot a person might build up over time.
Which? surveyed more than 1,200 people via Deltapoll in August across the UK.
