Salary or work-life balance: which matters more in your industry?
Attracting great employees can be tough, so it pays to know what matters most to people when they’re considering a new role or company. SEEK’s Laws Of Attraction interactive data tool provides easy access to wide-ranging insights into what candidates want in a job.
While salary is always important, there are some industries where people value work-life balance more than money.
So, what matters more in your industry - salary or work-life balance? Select your industry from the table below to find out:
Choose your industry
Salary & compensation
27.3%
Work-life balance
22.2%
These are the drivers candidates consider most important when looking at roles. Percentages represent the importance score of each driver. You can find the full list of drivers that make up 100% on SEEK's Laws of Attraction portal.
These are the drivers candidates consider most important when looking at roles. Percentages represent the importance score of each driver. You can find the full list of drivers that make up 100% on SEEK's Laws of Attraction portal.
These are the drivers candidates consider most important when looking at roles. Percentages represent the importance score of each driver. You can find the full list of drivers that make up 100% on SEEK's Laws of Attraction portal.
These are the drivers candidates consider most important when looking at roles. Percentages represent the importance score of each driver. You can find the full list of drivers that make up 100% on SEEK's Laws of Attraction portal.
These are the drivers candidates consider most important when looking at roles. Percentages represent the importance score of each driver. You can find the full list of drivers that make up 100% on SEEK's Laws of Attraction portal.
These are the drivers candidates consider most important when looking at roles. Percentages represent the importance score of each driver. You can find the full list of drivers that make up 100% on SEEK's Laws of Attraction portal.
These are the drivers candidates consider most important when looking at roles. Percentages represent the importance score of each driver. You can find the full list of drivers that make up 100% on SEEK's Laws of Attraction portal.
These are the drivers candidates consider most important when looking at roles. Percentages represent the importance score of each driver. You can find the full list of drivers that make up 100% on SEEK's Laws of Attraction portal.
These are the drivers candidates consider most important when looking at roles. Percentages represent the importance score of each driver. You can find the full list of drivers that make up 100% on SEEK's Laws of Attraction portal.
These are the drivers candidates consider most important when looking at roles. Percentages represent the importance score of each driver. You can find the full list of drivers that make up 100% on SEEK's Laws of Attraction portal.
These are the drivers candidates consider most important when looking at roles. Percentages represent the importance score of each driver. You can find the full list of drivers that make up 100% on SEEK's Laws of Attraction portal.
These are the drivers candidates consider most important when looking at roles. Percentages represent the importance score of each driver. You can find the full list of drivers that make up 100% on SEEK's Laws of Attraction portal.
These are the drivers candidates consider most important when looking at roles. Percentages represent the importance score of each driver. You can find the full list of drivers that make up 100% on SEEK's Laws of Attraction portal.
These are the drivers candidates consider most important when looking at roles. Percentages represent the importance score of each driver. You can find the full list of drivers that make up 100% on SEEK's Laws of Attraction portal.
These are the drivers candidates consider most important when looking at roles. Percentages represent the importance score of each driver. You can find the full list of drivers that make up 100% on SEEK's Laws of Attraction portal.
These are the drivers candidates consider most important when looking at roles. Percentages represent the importance score of each driver. You can find the full list of drivers that make up 100% on SEEK's Laws of Attraction portal.
These are the drivers candidates consider most important when looking at roles. Percentages represent the importance score of each driver. You can find the full list of drivers that make up 100% on SEEK's Laws of Attraction portal.
These are the drivers candidates consider most important when looking at roles. Percentages represent the importance score of each driver. You can find the full list of drivers that make up 100% on SEEK's Laws of Attraction portal.
These are the drivers candidates consider most important when looking at roles. Percentages represent the importance score of each driver. You can find the full list of drivers that make up 100% on SEEK's Laws of Attraction portal.
These are the drivers candidates consider most important when looking at roles. Percentages represent the importance score of each driver. You can find the full list of drivers that make up 100% on SEEK's Laws of Attraction portal.
These are the drivers candidates consider most important when looking at roles. Percentages represent the importance score of each driver. You can find the full list of drivers that make up 100% on SEEK's Laws of Attraction portal.
These are the drivers candidates consider most important when looking at roles. Percentages represent the importance score of each driver. You can find the full list of drivers that make up 100% on SEEK's Laws of Attraction portal.
These are the drivers candidates consider most important when looking at roles. Percentages represent the importance score of each driver. You can find the full list of drivers that make up 100% on SEEK's Laws of Attraction portal.
These are the drivers candidates consider most important when looking at roles. Percentages represent the importance score of each driver. You can find the full list of drivers that make up 100% on SEEK's Laws of Attraction portal.
These are the drivers candidates consider most important when looking at roles. Percentages represent the importance score of each driver. You can find the full list of drivers that make up 100% on SEEK's Laws of Attraction portal.
SEEK’s Laws Of Attraction data shows that work-life balance trumps salary as the most important driver for candidates in several industries. In fact, work-life balance is a key consideration for almost all workers in Australia, which is not surprising, given the flexibility many have experienced in their working lives in recent years.
But work-life balance means different things to different people. It encompasses a range of drivers, from flexible working hours to additional leave. For example, the data shows that the option to work from home or remotely is a “must-have” for 27% of candidates.
Time in lieu is also a key driver, with 53% of candidates stating that they’d be delighted if their employer provided it.
Additional leave is also a “must-have” for 25% of candidates, while almost 60% would be delighted to receive additional leave and flexible working arrangements.
Highlighting these drivers of work-life balance in your job ads – and as part of your employee value proposition – will help you to capture the attention of top talent.
Salary is still important
While work-life balance is important, people want to be compensated for their time and effort – so it’s no surprise salary is still the number one driver across most industries.
Including salary in your job ads can not only help to attract more candidates, it can also help them to find you. When people search for roles on SEEK, they can use the salary filter to refine their results. People also use the advertised salary range for a role to determine whether they have the right skills, experience and capability for the position. If your advertised salary isn’t within a competitive range, your ad may not be seen by the candidates you’re aiming to attract.
More than 70% of candidates find it frustrating when salary isn’t included in a job ad and many candidates wouldn’t even consider applying for a job if the salary isn’t advertised.
SEEK data also shows a 33.9% increase in applications when visible salary is shown on a job ad, so it pays to be transparent.
Salary remains the key driver for candidates across Australia, but work-life balance is even more valuable for those in some industries. Understanding what’s most likely to attract people to their next role in your industry can help you to fine-tune your message and hire more effectively.
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