More than a third (36%) of people who started a new job within the past five years did not ask about their new firm’s pension scheme at any stage of the hiring process, a survey has found.
Around a fifth waited until they received a job offer to ask about the company pension scheme, while 16% waited until after they had accepted the role to make inquiries, according to savings and investments firm M&G.
More than one in 10 (12%) only asked about the pension scheme at their final interview for the job.
Yet, along with holiday allowances, workplace pensions were the third most important factor when people were weighing up which benefits most influenced whether they accepted a role, with the salary being ranked as the most important and flexible working in second place.
M&G said this suggests there is a gap between what people value and what they feel able to ask about when applying for a new role.
It commissioned Opinium to survey 2,000 people across the UK in September 2025.
Separate research by M&G and the Social Market Foundation, which was carried out by Opinium among 3,000 people across the UK, indicated that many workers struggle to keep on top of their pension admin.
Some 40% of full-time workers surveyed did not know their employer’s contributions, 43% have never changed their own contributions and 25% have lost track of past pension pots.
Kerrigan Procter, managing director of corporate pension solutions at M&G, said: “When applying for a job, checking the pension scheme on offer is essential.
“Too many people are missing out because they don’t ask, or the information isn’t readily available.”
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She suggested that employers should make pension details clear and upfront in job adverts, adding: “When combined with a simple pension health check at each job move, that transparency could make a huge difference to people’s financial security. Pensions need to be impossible to overlook.”
Here are the top benefits that influenced workers’ decisions to accept a role, according to the survey for M&G, followed by the percentages of people who said they were influenced by them:
Salary, 48%
Flexible working/work from home options, 25%
Workplace pension package, 22%
Generous holiday allowance, 22%
Bonus scheme, 13%
Professional development/training budget, 13%
Health insurance or other medical benefits, 13%
Support with health and wellbeing, 10%
Support with personal finances, 8%