From Egg Freezing To Tuition Reimbursement, Company Perks Are Up In Tight Labor Market

Truck drivers can get a $5,000 signing bonus to drive for Walmart. Kroger grocery baggers can get tuition reimbursed. New-mother baristas at Starbucks now can get their full salary for up to six weeks of maternity leave. And traveling Goldman Sachs bankers can ship their breast milk home for free.

These new job perks are just a few signs of the hot and competitive labor market. The U.S. unemployment rate is the lowest its been in decades. That means companies from restaurants to engineering firms are being forced to find new and creative ways to lure workers.

But with companies still showing signs of reluctance to raise wages too much, the competition for workers is playing out with lavish benefits. Indeed, a recent ManpowerGroup survey of companies found that 32 percent of companies are offering additional perks and benefits to overcome shortages in “talent.”

Charlotte Norsworthy

NPR, JUL 2

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