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Coming out as the top priority is cost management, followed by competitive benefits and high-valued benefits completing the top three.
From bolstering mental resilience to growing investment in employee support, wellbeing is rapidly moving up the agenda in APAC workplaces.
In fact, a recent survey by Aon revealed that the Asia Pacific region is the only one to rank "health and productivity of employees” among its top five strategic priorities — cost management, competitive benefits, high-valued benefits, cminimising compliance risk, and healthy and productive at work.
According to Alan Oates, Head of Global Benefits for APAC, Aon, this priority reflects the importance of service labour in APAC to the supply chain for many multinational organisations. "It is vital that the health and productivity of that workforce be in a good state, and the absolute size of the populations means that small changes can have a large impact."
"Our survey signals APAC is leading the way in aligning benefits strategy with workforce needs. Through innovative, data-driven analytic programmes, businesses are building resilient, future-ready programmes for their workforce," Tim Dwyer, Head of Human Capital for APAC, Aon, added.
The report also revealed other key findings, including:
- 32% of leading multinationals participating in the survey have global guidelines requiring local markets to introduce benefit choice. APAC firms, in particular, are more likely to offer flexibility in annual leave and career development, aligning with employee preferences.
- APAC companies are early adopters of AI for benefits selection and wellbeing support, with 28% planning to implement AI-driven solutions.
- 31% of companies are considering remarketing or changing providers, though only 37% are investing in wellbeing initiatives, suggesting a gap between strategic intent and execution.
- Leading APAC organisations are three times more likely to have formal governance committees and senior management endorsement of their global benefits strategy and are 2.5 times more likely to have global benefit guidelines outlining preferred design and financing approaches.
Oates adds: "Prioritising health and productivity of employees reflects the critical importance of workforce in the region to the supply chain for many multinational organisations.
"Organisations across the region must continue to adapt their employee benefits strategies to meet evolving workforce expectations and economic challenges as they strive to remain competitive."
READ MORE: From cost to value: How APAC employers are reworking benefits in 2025
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