MetLife in August 2016 published its first global whitepaper, Employee Benefits Generating Business Impact, identifying key benefits trends and solutions from around the world. Based on data from 12 markets, the research found that total rewards packages are key to employee engagement, productivity and retention. In fact, nearly 100% of employers in Mexico, Brazil, Australia and the US said that benefits are important for attracting and retaining talent.

Key findings from the paper include:

• Employers and Employees around the World Want Voluntary Benefits: Russia, China and Egypt topped the list with over two-thirds of employers and over half of employees saying they’re interested in voluntary benefits. Brazil ranked the lowest with under half of employers and employees interested in voluntary benefits.
• Wellness & Work-life Balance Programs are of High Interest Globally: At least half of employees in India (80%), Russia (71%), the United Arab Emirates (69%), Poland (52%) and the United Kingdom (50%) said they would be interested in work-life balance programs. More than 70% of employees in each of those countries also said they’d be interested in flexible working conditions.

The whitepaper can be found here .