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Mercer Marsh Benefits

Health on Demand 2023

Benefits for all. The secret to thriving employees and businesses.

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10/05/2023 · 5 min read

Benefits for all.  Benefits for a fast-changing world. Benefits for healthier societies.

Employees’ lives have become more complex that many struggle to keep up. The physical, social and emotional, and financial challenges of the past few years have been exacerbated by a period of polycrisis that has encompassed war, environmental disasters, and a level of inflation that has affected access to basic necessities. 

In fact, 44% of employees in Asia feel stressed in everyday life, and ranked economic downturns as a top concern after pandemic crisis, with many of the benefits that employees value most related to finances, according to our findings in the latest Health on Demand 2023 report.

Employers are having to reassess how to meet the needs of their employees in Asia to grow their talent and business; re-evaluating the relevance and value of the benefits they provide, the technology to use, and how to address key risks. To better understand the shifting priorities of different groups within the workforce, we sought opinions from over 17,000 individual employees — including more than 5,200 in Asia — across different countries, sectors and levels. Our analysis offers a unique insight into the value employees place on employer-provided benefits and demonstrates the power of a care-first approach.

Three key trends

Using benefits as an expression of company values is going to be more important as life becomes more complex. Our findings revealed three key ways risk managers and HR can work closely together to enable your employees and your business to thrive.

Benefits for all

Benefits for all

Building benefit strategies that work for everyone requires insight into the broad range of needs and preferences of different employee groups in your workforce.
Benefits for a fast changing world

Benefits for a fast-changing world

Using benefits as an expression of company values and to mitigate people risk is going to be more important as life becomes more complex, chaotic and digital.
Benfits for healthier societies

Benefits for healthier societies

Advancing employee health is a critical component of “the S in ESG”. For employers to be part of the solution, they need to address the physical, financial and emotional needs of their workforce.

Explore the industry trends

Dive into highlights of some of the top trends across 6 different industries. Consider the most helpful benefits for different industry groups of employees and how this may impact the benefits you provide. How do different employee groups view their employer and the support they perceive that they receive? How does this compare with other industries and against Global?

Top 3 most helpful benefits

Preventive cancer screenings

An app to help find medical care when and where I need it, even in the middle of the night

Apps and devices to self-manage wellbeing

70%

My employer cares about my health and wellbeing

58%

My employer designs my job and work with wellbeing in mind

69%

I am confident my employer would support me in an emergency or time of need

* (Strongly Agree + Agree)

Top 3 most helpful benefits

Apps and devices to self-manage wellbeing

Preventive cancer screenings

An app to help find medical care when and where I need it, even in the middle of the night

73%

My employer cares about my health and wellbeing

61%

My employer designs my job and work with wellbeing in mind

72%

I am confident my employer would support me in an emergency or time of need

* (Strongly Agree + Agree)

Top 3 most helpful benefits

Preventive cancer screenings

Free or subsidized food, transportation or housing

Help with adopting a more environmentally friendly lifestyle

63%

My employer cares about my health and wellbeing

47%

My employer designs my job and work with wellbeing in mind

65%

I am confident my employer would support me in an emergency or time of need

* (Strongly Agree + Agree)

Top 3 most helpful benefits

Preventive cancer screenings

An app to help find medical care when and where I need it, even in the middle of the night

Apps and devices to self-manage wellbeing

69%

My employer cares about my health and wellbeing

56%

My employer designs my job and work with wellbeing in mind

68%

I am confident my employer would support me in an emergency or time of need 

* (Strongly Agree + Agree)

Top 3 most helpful benefits

Preventive cancer screenings

An app to help find medical care when and where I need it, even in the middle of the night

Genetic test that reveals health risks and suggests lifestyle changes and screenings

65%

My employer cares about my health and wellbeing

51%

My employer designs my job and work with wellbeing in mind

67%

I am confident my employer would support me in an emergency or time of need 

* (Strongly Agree + Agree)

Top 3 most helpful benefits

Preventive cancer screenings

An app to help find medical care when and where I need it, even in the middle of the night

Apps and devices to help self-manage health conditions

61%

My employer cares about my health and wellbeing

52%

My employer designs my job and work with wellbeing in mind

67%

I am confident my employer would support me in an emergency or time of need 

* (Strongly Agree + Agree)

Top 3 most helpful benefits

Preventive cancer screenings

An app to help find medical care when and where I need it, even in the middle of the night

Apps and devices to self-manage wellbeing

66%

My employer cares about my health and wellbeing

53%

My employer designs my job and work with wellbeing in mind

67%

I am confident my employer would support me in an emergency or time of need 

* (Strongly Agree + Agree)

Benefits for all

Employers have the power to close healthcare gaps so that all employees thrive.

Download the report

What employees value most: Three key benefits trends

Using meaningful benefits as an expression of company values is going to be more important as life becomes more complex, and supporting the widest possible range of employee needs makes a difference.

In the Health on Demand 2023 report, although 71% of employees in Asia think that their employers care for their health and well-being, only 64% say the benefits they receive meet their needs. 

Our findings revealed three key ways risk managers and HR can work closely together to enable your employees and your business to thrive.

selected option

Using benefits as an expression of company values and to mitigate people risk is going to be more important as life becomes more complex, chaotic and digital.

Responding to moments that matter, we are seeing employers taking a stand on societal issues such as diversity, inclusion and equity (DEI) and environmental sustainability, and building trust by helping employees transition to digital health future through their benefit strategies as they reset for relevance.

Advancing employee health is a critical component of the “Social” in the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) framework. For employers to be part of the solution, they need to address the physical, financial and emotional needs of their workforce.

Consider health equity issues and health risks in your workforce by focusing on the unwell, lower income and part-time workers within your employee populations, as well as mental health. 

Explore the Report

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Infographic

A bite-sized overview of the key findings from this year’s research.

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Benefits for all

Employers have the power to close healthcare gaps so that all employees thrive.

Download the report

Related insights

Explore previous report