THE war for talent, heightened focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, and rising benefit costs are fueling a surge in companies planning to revamp their employee benefit strategy. Their goals are to differentiate themselves, personalize the employee experience and manage the costs of their benefit programs. That is according to a new survey by Willis Towers Watson, a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company.

The 2021 Benefits Trends Survey found that 7 in 10 (76 percent) employers in the Philippines plan to differentiate and customize their benefit programs over the next two years, which is a sharp increase from just 36 percent today. More than half (67 percent) cited tight labor markets, followed by increased remote working (57 percent), advances in technology for benefits (56 percent) and the increased focus on inclusion and diversity (56 percent) as top influences in driving their benefit strategy.