Health Care, Social Services Keep Workers with Perks, Flexibility

The aging U.S. population presents both tremendous opportunities and risks for the health care and social assistance industry. Demand for elder care, chronic disease management, and other services is expected to soar. But can these employers hire quickly enough to provide this care?

So far, the industry has handled the storm, accounting for roughly one-third of all U.S. job growth since February 2022. But can employers continue to build sustainable talent pipelines given the projected staffing shortages? Your benefits strategy will prove critical in attracting top candidates and supporting their development in high-pressure environments.

The 2025 SHRM Employee Benefits Survey offers a comprehensive look at benefits across organization sizes, locations, and industries. The data also illustrates how health care and social assistance companies stand out and how the industry's benefits are evolving.

What Benefits Stand Out in Health Care and Social Assistance?

Health care and social assistance employers stand out in 2025 for strategically investing in benefits related to scheduling, retention, and leave. Those choices have trade-offs, however, leaving the industry lagging behind U.S. businesses overall in many benefits.

Schedule Flexibility

Many health care and social assistance workplaces operate beyond regular business hours, possibly explaining a higher prevalence of alternative scheduling, including four-day workweeks of 32 hours or less. That said, this industry is less likely to offer flextime during typical business hours.

• Shift premiums: 36% of health and social assistance employers offer additional pay for work performed outside of regular hours in 2025, compared with 28% of all businesses.
• Compressed workweeks: 32% offer this benefit to full-time employees, versus 27% of all businesses.
• Flextime during core business hours: 43% offer this benefit, versus 51% of all employers.

Retention Tools

Health care and social assistance employers are more likely to offer benefits designed to retain workers, but are less likely to offer performance-based bonuses:

• Retention bonus: 28% of health care and social assistance employers offer retention bonuses, versus 20% of all businesses.
• Company-provided student loan repayment: 17% offer this benefit in 2025, compared with 8% of all businesses.
• Incentive bonus plan: 38% offer incentive bonuses, compared with 51% of all businesses.

Employee Leave and Workday Breaks

The health care and social assistance industry lags in most forms of paid leave, including parental leave (25%, compared to 39% for all businesses). But companies in these sectors are more likely to provide benefits for leave cashouts or donations:

• Break arrangements: 46% of health care and social assistance employers in 2025 offer flexible break timing arrangements for workers who normally have assigned breaks. This compares with 40% of all employers.
• Leave cashout program: 31% allow employees to cash out unused leave, versus 24% of all businesses.
• Leave donation program: 31% enable employees to donate paid leave to colleagues, versus 25% of all businesses.

How Health Care and Social Assistance Benefits Are Evolving

The industry's focus on retention is showing up in leadership development benefits. Nearly half (48%) offer executive or leadership coaching in 2025, up 6 percentage points from 2024. And 25% offer formal mentoring programs, an increase of 4 percentage points.

However, this industry saw reductions in certain benefits that are perhaps considered non-core. Three-fifths (61%) cover chiropractic services in 2025, down 9 percentage points from 2024. Contraceptive coverage is offered by 71% of employers, down by 6 percentage points from 2024. And 85% provide mental health coverage, down 5 percentage points year over year.

Employers were also less likely to subsidize phone bills, phone purchases, or computer and tablet purchases for employee-owned devices.

What Industry Leaders Should Do Next

The health care and social assistance sector should reassess benefits related to paid leave. With workers continuing to report higher levels of stress, burnout, and depression than before the pandemic, a lack of time off could exacerbate those feelings and increase turnover.

Employers should explore how benefits can meet their workers' most important needs. For example, many workers in these sectors hold advanced credentials, some of which they must periodically recertify. Offering student loan repayment benefits and reimbursing fees for professional license applications or renewals can save your staff money and demonstrate your commitment to their professional growth.