Social Care Sector Ranks Among The Best For Financial Wellbeing At Work

The social care industry ranks among the best for supporting employee financial wellbeing in 2025, according to new cross-sector research.

The research by Access PayWise+, part of The Access Group, analysed more than 20 financial wellbeing benefits listed in recent job ads across 30 UK sectors to show which industries best support staff beyond their salaries.

Benefits were grouped into seven categories including financial compensation and pay enhancements, insurance and protection, lifestyle support, health and wellbeing, family and parental benefits, retirement and savings, and work from home flexibility.

Social care came fourth overall, placing in the top ten for four of the seven benefits categories. The sector performed strongest in financial compensation and pay enhancements – though still only 25% of job ads offer these benefits.

The sector’s weakest area lies in retirement and long-term savings with 0.19% of jobs ads offering these benefits on average.

Across all sectors, less than 10% of job ads include benefits from even the most common category – financial compensation and pay enhancements – showing there is still room for improvement, even among top performers.

This comes as one in three employees say money worries affect their performance, and only half of employers have a financial wellbeing strategy.

At the other end of the scale, education offers the fewest financial wellbeing benefits overall, with recruitment consultancy, and admin/secretarial & PA also ranking among the least generous.

Commenting on the findings, Abhishek Agrawal at Access PayWise+, said:
“Social care companies offering strong financial wellbeing packages are likely to see higher workforce productivity and loyalty, as well as providing an attractive offer for prospective talent.

“Financial compensation and pay enhancements are the most common form of financial support in the social care sector, but uptake still remains low at 25% in recent job ads, showing room for improvement across every benefit category.

“Simple, low-cost steps such as cycle-to-work schemes, life assurance or earned wage access can help staff manage everyday costs. Our previous research shows 80% of employees using earned wage access feel more loyal to their employer, yet it’s still rarely offered. Expanding this into a broader financial wellbeing strategy will deliver the best long-term results.”