Job seekers seeing new kinds of benefits as remote work changes workplace

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SAN JOSE, Calif. — Some of the benefits that used to attract job seekers are no longer relevant as remote work continues. So, employers have had to listen and change with the times.

Four years ago, San Jose State’s Class of 2022 never dreamed it would be this good. There are over 27,000 job postings at the university’s career center. That’s almost four jobs for each of this year’s nearly 7,400 graduates. This means they can make demands.

A survey conducted on LinkedIn by the recruiting firm Robert Half indicated just over half of this year’s grads want to work remotely. That means perks such as free food or on-site dry cleaning and massages lose relevancy and value.

The San Francisco benefits consulting firm Forma says companies indeed are creating a menu of perks employees can select, including help with paying student loan debt. Providing more flexible benefits can help to fill an estimated 11 million job openings. Other companies, according to the recruiting firm Robert Half, are foregoing advance degree requirements and either providing educational benefits or in-house training.