Workers Want Certainty As Unemployment Rises

Workers would prefer to earn less if they had guaranteed hours, a new major survey has discovered. When considering a job, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) is the least important factor, along with benefits and perks.

The study was carried out by Berry Recruitment, a national recruiter with branches across the country.

It employs mainly temporary workers in the hospitality, industrial, office/professional, driving, construction, rail and IT sectors. In the wide-ranging survey workers also said that the salary remains the most important reason for deciding whether they apply for a role – with benefits/perks and culture barely registering.

When asked what the most valuable benefits an employer could offer were, training and funded courses were the most popular – with team events and activities deemed the least valuable.

Lee Gamble, managing director of Berry Recruitment which is headquartered in St Albans, Herts, said:

“We carried out the survey in order to help employers understand what workers want and value. Respondents said they would prefer to earn a little less in exchange for guaranteed hours."

“In the survey, more than half of those questioned said their personal lives are regularly disrupted by last minute changes – it is a major driver of dissatisfaction and turnover. We go as far as saying that predictability is the new perk."

“Results show that workers don’t feel valued because of grand gestures or flashy freebies, but by clarity, consistency, fairness and support. When asked about the most valued benefits, training and funded courses are most important, along with flexible working. Least important are team events and activities."

“When deciding whether to apply for a job, the most important things are pay and work-life balance. DEI and benefits and perks are of very low importance. The results vary between sectors and age groups but there are some takeaways for employers."

“Transparency, stability, more certainty of hours, better onboarding processes, improved communication, investment in training and progression opportunities are all things that can help improve retention and foster loyalty."

“For many years we have had a candidate-driven market because of the lack of workers. But we are now seeing unemployment rise and this might be why the desire for guaranteed hours is so important. Choice of employment opportunities is narrowing so certainty becomes more important for workers.”

The unemployment rate rose to a near five-year high of 5.2 per cent for the period of October to December 2025.

The results of the survey that polled 444 workers across the country in December can be found here: