By Mployer Team
Mar 6, 2023
Updated
August 14, 2023
6
min read

Accident insurance is a voluntary benefit that many employers offer their employees to help provide financial support in the event that they or a member of their family are accidentally injured.Also called voluntary accident insurance, this type of insurance is paid out directly to the policyholder in lump sums, the amount of which is determined by a schedule outlined in the policy based on the type and severity of the injury.

For example, a sprained ankle or tendon injury will pay out at a lower set rate than a broken limb, which in turn will pay out at a lower set rate than a dismembered limb, and so on.

Those lump sums will also include pre-determined payouts for certain medical expenses incurred as a result of the injury.

Accident insurance payouts can cover expenses including, for example, diagnostics, therapies, ambulance transportation, emergency room visits, and hospital stays.

Because these claims are paid in lump sums directly to the policyholder, however, the money can be put to use wherever the policyholder believes it is most needed, whether that be contributing toward co-pays and deductibles, buying groceries, taking a vacation, or purchasing a new video game console to stay occupied while laid up and recovering for a few weeks.

Accident Insurance vs. Workers’ Compensation

Accident Insurance is not a substitute for workers’ compensation insurance, which is legally mandated for businesses who have more than a few employees in most industries.

Even in cases when workers’ compensation is in place to cover on-the-job injuries, accident insurance is often offered on an opt-in basis. In such cases, accident insurance will often pay out on claims much more quickly than workers’ comp.

As a result, voluntary accident insurance can provide stop-gap financial relief to policyholders who are injured on the job well before workers’ compensation pays out on a claim.

Furthermore, the accident insurance being discussed in this post should not be confused with occupational accident insurance, which is a type of commercial insurance typically used by small companies that do not meet the minimum requirements for legally mandated workers’ compensation coverage. These companies have the option to choose occupational accident insurance instead.

Benefits of Accident Insurance

In addition to recruitment advantages, loyalty, and the increased efficiency that robust benefits packages can create among existing employees, there are a number of additional reasons that many employers offer voluntary accident insurance as an opt-in benefit.

  • Cheap Premiums: The premiums for accident insurance are a great value relative to the coverage and peace of mind they can provide. Depending on the size of the payout schedules, there are policies available with $10 premiums per month or less for an individual (and only slightly more for family coverage). Further, these policies can be offered at no expense to the employer since premiums are paid entirely out of pocket by the employees, who in turn benefit from the group coverage rate.
  • Broad Scope of Coverage: Accident insurance policies tend to cover a fairly broad range of accident-related injuries, from minor wounds and pulled muscles to severe burns, lost limbs, and accident-induced comas. Because any of these injuries can potentially lead to time away from work, stress, and/or medical bills that may in turn lead to reduced on-the-job performance, offering accident insurance can help employees return to work at maximum productivity levels as quickly as possible. And because accident insurance can cover a policyholder’s entire family, that peace of mind extends beyond injuries that occur to the employee and policyholder in question.
  • Lump Sum Payments: Because the injuries and medical services that are covered are clearly defined in the policy, and because payments are made in lump sums that are paid directly to the policyholder, accident insurance tends to pay out claims more quickly than many other forms of insurance. As a result, policyholders are able to direct those resources when they are needed the most to where they are needed the most. This hastens their ability to manage the injury and reduces periods of diminished activity and productivity.
  • Health and Safety Incentives: In addition to providing the benefits already described in the unfortunate event of accidental injury, many accident insurance policies also have the added perk of incentivizing safe behavior and rewarding policyholders who manage to avoid accidental injuries. Many accidental insurance providers will pay out cash payments for policyholders who avoid filing for claimable injuries over a certain period of time, while other providers will increase the maximum payout per injury on an annual basis when no claims were filed. Some providers will create a “rainy day” fund to enable lump sum payouts even when a policyholder has exceeded the ‘repeat injury’ threshold outlined in their policy for a given injury. These kinds of health and safety incentives may not only somewhat decrease the likelihood of productivity-sapping accidents, but they also can increase the benefits that policyholders can expect when accidents inevitably do happen, which can further limit the negative impact that the accident has.

What’s the Difference Between a “Good” and “Bad” Accident Insurance Policy?

As with most types of insurance, a good accident insurance policy is one that is well-tailored to the policyholder’s needs, keeping risk at manageable levels without purchasing so much coverage that the premiums break the bank.

Maybe even more important, however, is that a good policy is one that is part of a well-rounded insurance portfolio - because no one single type of policy could provide optimized coverage and effectively manage the risk of adverse events on its own. To that point, with regard to accident insurance policies, these policies are often found working in conjunction with critical illness insurance policies, especially when the overall portfolio includes high-deductible traditional health insurance, for example.

When evaluating and comparing potential accident insurance policies, one thing you’ll want to consider is the breadth of each policy’s coverage. While accident insurance typically covers a pretty broad range of injuries in general, some policies may cover 50 different injuries while others may cover 100. Before signing up for any accidental insurance policy, it’s best to determine not only the number of injuries covered but also the type of injuries, to make sure your policy has a coverage range that sufficiently protects against any injuries that may be especially common in your line of business.

After considering how a particular accident insurance policy may fit within your current insurance portfolio and making sure the scope of coverage was closely hewn to your needs, the deciding factor about what makes a good policy will likely be tied to your specific company.

For instance, if you determine that the cost of premiums will be among the biggest inhibiting factors that might keep your employees from considering accident insurance, then consider letting premium price be determinative and choose a policy that keeps those costs down.

On the other hand, maybe your employees would be more responsive to a plan that doubles the claim payout amount if a policyholder’s child gets injured playing sports. Or maybe they would most appreciate a policy that rewards injury avoidance with big safety bonuses.

All of these options are possible and can significantly shape employees’ perception of your company’s insurance offerings as a whole.

The best way to ensure that your accident insurance policy is a good one that works well within the framework of your existing insurance offerings and is ideally suited to the needs of your employees is to speak with your business insurance broker and find out how accident insurance could potentially help fill some gaps in your coverage.

Top 5 Questions to Ask a Broker About Accident Insurance

  • What is the scope of injuries that are covered, how much is paid out for each, and how does the severity of a given injury factor into the equation?
  • What other additional benefits, safety incentives, rainy day funds, bonuses, and other features can be included to further benefit and encourage buy-in from employees, and which features best suit employee needs?
  • How does an accident insurance policy overlap with, conflict with, or complement my existing insurance portfolio and could my insurance portfolio be amended, revised, or supplemented to better achieve my company’s goals in some other way that doesn’t involve the addition of accident insurance to that portfolio?
  • What is the cost of the premium payments relative to the maximum payouts for each injury on the policy schedule?
  • What is the process for filing claims and how quickly are those claims typically paid out?

How to Find an Accident Insurance Broker

To find a broker in your area with expertise in accident insurance for your industry, search Mployer Advisor. Read real reviews, see independent ratings, and compare top-rated brokers to find the best fit for your business.Find Top-Rated Brokers

About Mployer Advisor

At Mployer Advisor, our focus is creating transparency in the insurance and insurance broker, consultant and advisor space to the advantage of the employer. Analytics is our core and we will bring to light new information, tools and resources to aid employers in making more cost-effective decisions. As a phase I, we are here to help employers find the right broker or consultant and the right insurance company for them. Giving choice and initial transparency is a first step in creating an employer centric insurance marketplace.

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Communicating the Value of Benefits Increases Applications and Improves Close Rates

November 7, 2025

Competing for Talent in a Constrained Market

The labor market remains highly competitive, particularly for skilled and high-performing roles. Despite some macroeconomic cooling, the structural shortage of qualified talent persists: nearly three-quarters of employers continue to report difficulty filling key positions. At the same time, employee expectations have evolved — flexibility, security, and well-being now weigh as heavily as base compensation in determining employer preference.

For most organizations, benefits represent one of the largest investments in the total rewards portfolio. Yet in practice, those investments are often under-leveraged in the recruiting process. Health coverage, retirement plans, paid time off, and wellness programs frequently appear as a brief bullet point in job descriptions or are mentioned only when an offer is extended. By that stage, the opportunity to differentiate has largely passed.

Mployer’s recent survey of more than 700 companies across 17 industries found that employers who clearly communicate the value of their benefits — and substantiate that value through credible data or recognition — are nine times more likely to be selected by candidates and to convert accepted offers. Transparency and validation drive both higher-quality applicant flow and stronger offer acceptance rates.

Transparency Converts Interest Into Action

In a competitive market, candidates are no longer applying indiscriminately. They evaluate prospective employers through publicly available information, reviews, and visible signals of value. When benefit information is vague, candidates interpret that as a risk. “Competitive benefits” have become shorthand for “average,” and uncertainty creates hesitation.

Conversely, when an organization provides a clear, quantified, and credible overview of its benefits, the dynamic changes immediately. Candidates are more willing to engage early, stay active through the interview process, and make faster, more confident decisions.

  • 89% of candidates say they are more likely to apply when an employer provides clear benefit details.
  • 90% say they are more likely to accept a role when benefits have been recognized or benchmarked externally.

Clarity reduces friction. It replaces speculation with understanding and shifts the employer-candidate relationship from negotiation to alignment.

The Missed Opportunity: The Awkward Offer Conversation

In many recruiting processes today, the discussion around benefits occurs only after a verbal or written offer is made. The exchange is familiar: the candidate receives the offer, reviews the salary, and then pauses at the benefits section — uncertain whether what’s being offered is “good” or “below market.”

Recruiters often find themselves attempting to explain why the plan is competitive, citing anecdotal points about employer contributions or coverage levels. But without comparative data, the explanation sounds defensive, not differentiating. The candidate may nod politely but remain unconvinced — or worse, use the ambiguity to negotiate or delay.

At that stage, the opportunity to use benefits as a selling point has already been lost. The employer is reacting rather than leading.

In contrast, organizations that proactively communicate the strength of their benefits — in quantitative and comparative terms — enter offer discussions from a position of confidence. The candidate already understands the total value being provided and perceives the offer as comprehensive, not partial.

This is the distinction between defending your benefits and leveraging them. One undermines momentum; the other accelerates decisions.

Making Benefits a Strategic Differentiator

Leading employers are now approaching benefits communication as a core component of their talent strategy — not an HR formality. Several best practices have emerged:

  1. Integrate Benefits Early in the Candidate Journey
    Incorporate concise benefit summaries directly into job descriptions, career pages, and early-stage recruiting materials. Candidates should understand your total rewards value before they ever meet a recruiter.
  2. Quantify Total Rewards Clearly
    Provide a simple, high-level estimate of annual benefit value. For example, “This role includes approximately $18,000 in annual benefit value beyond base salary.” Quantification allows candidates to make informed, apples-to-apples comparisons across competing offers.
  3. Leverage Third-Party Validation
    External benchmarks and awards give candidates confidence that your benefits are not only competitive, but verified. Independent recognition communicates quality far more effectively than internal claims.
  4. Equip Recruiters with Data
    Provide recruiters with accessible talking points and benchmark comparisons. When recruiters can articulate specifics — not generalities — they move from explaining to demonstrating.

These practices shorten time-to-hire, increase offer acceptance rates, and strengthen employer brand equity in measurable ways.

From Hidden Cost to Competitive Advantage

For many organizations, benefits are treated primarily as a cost center — a compliance requirement and a necessary expense. In reality, they are one of the most powerful levers available for talent attraction and retention.

When the value of those benefits is communicated with clarity, evidence, and confidence, the perception shifts. The benefits package becomes part of the employer’s market narrative — a tangible signal of how the company invests in its people.

In a tight labor market, that clarity doesn’t just help you attract candidates; it helps you close them.

How Mployer Enables Employers to Compete

Mployer helps organizations turn their benefits into a verified strategic advantage. We independently evaluate and rate employee benefit plans, comparing them across thousands of employers nationwide.

Participating organizations receive a clear assessment of how their benefits stack up against peers, along with recognition materials and benchmarking insights that can be shared directly with candidates. These assets — digital badges, comparison visuals, and concise summaries — give recruiting teams the ability to communicate benefit value credibly and consistently.

Employers across the country are already using Mployer’s data-driven validation to increase applicant volume, improve offer acceptance rates, and reinforce their reputation as employers of choice.

If you’d like to see how your benefits compare, we offer a free initial benchmark report to qualified employers. Join thousands of organizations already leveraging independent proof to strengthen their talent strategy — and move from explaining your benefits to winning with them.

Winning the Talent War: How Great Benefits and Communication Drive Employee Retention

October 23, 2025

In today’s hyper-competitive labor market, the fight for high-end talent has become a defining business challenge. Organizations invest significant resources into hiring and developing high- performing employees—only to lose them to competitors offering slightly higher pay or better benefits. The cost of voluntary turnover is not only financial; it disrupts operations, damages customer relationships, and erodes company culture.This white paper explores how offering market-competitive benefits—and communicating them effectively—dramatically reduces voluntary turnover. Backed by Mployer’s proprietary benchmarking and benefit rating data, we’ll show how employers that promote their benefits will experience on average 27% lower voluntary turnover each year and potentially up to 51% lower annual turnover compared to peers.

The Cost of Losing Great Talent

Every HR leader and CFO understands the financial cost of turnover—but few quantify its full scope. When an employee leaves voluntarily, costs include:

• Recruiting and onboarding new talent (often 30–50% of annual salary)

• Lost productivity during ramp-up and training

• Knowledge drain, as institutional know-how walks out the door

• Team disruption and morale impacts

• Customer relationship risks when account-facing employees depart

For specialized or customer-integrated roles, this loss compounds. A trained employee with both technical knowledge and deep integration into your teams and clients is a valuable asset—one not easily replaced. Studies show total turnover costs can exceed 1.5x–2x the employee’s annual salary for mid-level positions.

The Talent War: Competing Beyond Compensation

Across industries, the labor market remains tight. Wage competition has intensified, especially in sectors where every dollar per hour matters—manufacturing, wholesale trade, and financial services among them. Employees are increasingly willing to move for small pay increases, unless they clearly understand the total value of their benefits package.This is where benefit perception and communication become critical. When employees can see and understand the full value of what you provide—healthcare coverage, retirement matching, paid leave, mental health support—they’re less likely to be swayed by modest salary increases elsewhere. In short, benefits visibility equals retention power.

The Data: Better Benefits, Better Retention

Mployer Advisor’s analysis found that companies with highly rated benefits and effective benefits communication experience an average of 27% lower voluntary turnover than their peers. That’s a significant impact—one that directly translates into stronger productivity, reduced recruiting costs, and better workforce stability.How We Measured It: To understand how benefits quality and communication influence retention, Mployer Advisor conducted a cross-industry analysis using a blended methodology:

• Sample Group: Thousands of U.S. employers across key industries were evaluated, each with at least 50 full-time employees.

• Benefit Quality Scoring: Companies were benchmarked using Mployer’s proprietary benefit rating system, which integrates multiple data sources—including public ratings, plan benchmarking data, and employee feedback metrics.

• Communication Effectiveness: We measured not just the quality of benefits offered, but how clearly and frequently those benefits were communicated to employees through internal channels, digital materials, and recognition programs.

• Turnover Tracking: Over a 12-month period, we compared voluntary turnover rates among high-rated employers versus industry averages, focusing on trained, professional employees who had completed at least one year of tenure.The outcome was consistent and striking across every major sector: employers who both provide strong benefits and communicate them effectively retain significantly more of their trained workforce.

What this means in Practice - Let's put these numbers into context:

• Example 1: Mid-Sized Manufacturing Firm (200 Employees) Suppose a manufacturing company employs 200 workers with an annual average salary of $60,000 and a typical voluntary turnover rate of 20%. That’s 40 employees leaving each year. Replacing and retraining them at a conservative cost of 1.5× salary would total $3.6 million annually. With improved benefits communication and recognition, this firm could reduce its turnover by 44%—down to 22 separations a year—saving over $1.6 million annually in direct and indirect costs.

• Example 2: Growth-Stage Tech Company (50 Employees) A 50-person software firm might see a 25% voluntary turnover rate in a competitive labor market. Replacing those 12–13 employees could cost roughly $25,000 each in lost productivity and recruiting, totaling $300,000 per year. By improving benefits visibility and achieving results similar to the 27% national average reduction, the company could retain an additional 3–4 key employees annually—saving $75,000–$100,000 and preserving critical institutional knowledge.

The data and the dollars tell the same story: when employees both receive and recognize valuable benefits, they stay longer. Employers who treat benefits as a strategic investment—not just a line-item cost—achieve stronger retention, higher engagement, and measurable savings year over year.

Why Communication Matters as Much as the Benefits Themselves

Even the most generous benefits package fails to deliver ROI if employees don’t fully understand it. HR leaders often underestimate how little employees know about their coverage and perks. A recent survey found that:

• 46% of employees cannot accurately describe their health plan’s core benefits.

• Only 35% believe their employer communicates benefits “very effectively.”

• Yet 68% say that well-communicated benefits would increase their loyalty to the company.

Communicating benefits is no longer a once-a-year open enrollment exercise. It’s a year-round engagement effort that connects the dots between employee well-being and company investment.

Turning Benefits into a Competitive Advantage

This is where the Mployer Benefit Recognition Program makes the difference.

Through our Employer Benefit Award and recognition system, Mployer provides third-party validation that your benefits are not only competitive—but also worthy of public recognition.

Participating employers receive:

• An unbiased benefits rating benchmarked against industry peers

• A benefit summary report highlighting your strongest advantages

• Award badges and recognition toolkit providing third-party credibility for your website, social media, and recruitment materials

• Ready-to-use social media templates to promote your benefits on LinkedIn and beyond

• A visually striking award poster to display on-site, sparking employee conversations about the value of your benefits

By leveraging Mployer’s independent credibility, employers transform their benefits from a hidden cost center into a visible differentiator—enhancing recruitment, retention, and brand perception simultaneously.

Retention Starts with Recognition

In an era defined by labor shortages and rising turnover costs, the companies that win will be those that treat employee benefits not as an expense, but as a strategic investment.

The data tells the story: organizations that both offer competitive benefits and communicate them effectively enjoy up to half the turnover rates of their peers. Recognition, transparency, and consistent messaging are key to helping employees see the true value of what you provide.

Your workforce is your most valuable asset. Make sure they know how much they’re worth.

Learn more or see if your company qualifies for an Employer Benefit Award by visiting Mployer.

Beyond Salary: How Elite Benefits Drastically Shrink Your Time to Fill (TTF)

October 9, 2025

The modern labor market is defined by choice. In this competitive landscape, the time it takes to fill a critical position—your Time to Fill (TTF)—has become a painful metric. TTF measures the days between when a job is posted and when an offer is accepted, and every extra day costs your business. These are not just abstract numbers; they are tangible losses: decreased productivity from overburdened teams, halted projects, missed revenue targets, and increased recruiting fees (Source 1).

The solution to a high TTF doesn't lie solely in higher base salaries or aggressive sourcing. It lies in your benefits package.

Exceptional benefits are no longer a perk; they are the most efficient talent acquisition strategy to drastically reduce TTF. By treating your benefits package as a competitive differentiator, you can accelerate candidates through the hiring pipeline faster, saving thousands in the process.

The compounding financial cost of every day an essential role remains unfilled. Reducing TTF by just two weeks can save the organization thousands in lost revenue and overhead.

The Attraction Phase: Benefits as a Candidate Magnet

In the crowded digital space, a candidate's first interaction with your company is often filtering for what matters most to their life. This is where your benefits package first accelerates the process.

Filter Efficiency and Signal Quality

Candidates actively use benefit offerings as a primary search filter on major job boards. By offering superior benefits, your role gains instant visibility among highly qualified candidates who are explicitly looking for employer support.

Furthermore, a robust benefits package serves as a powerful signal quality indicator. It immediately tells a prospective hire that your company is stable, healthy, and genuinely employee-first. This signals a positive company culture, immediately making your job more attractive than competitors offering standard, minimal coverage.

High-Value Benefits That Reduce Hesitation

Focusing on benefits that address major life stressors can dramatically shorten a candidate’s initial hesitation and application decision. High-perceived-value benefits like generous Paternity and Maternity Leave policies, comprehensive Mental Health Coverage, and practical Flexible Work Arrangements (Hybrid/Remote) instantly elevate your offer. These concrete; life-changing benefits are far more persuasive than a generic promise of a "competitive salary."

The Conversion Phase: Benefits as a Negotiation Accelerator

Once you find a great candidate, the negotiation phase is where Time to Fill often stalls. Strong benefits act as rocket fuel, accelerating the offer acceptance and minimizing costly, time-consuming back-and-forth.

Reducing Offer Time

When an offer is extended, a truly compelling benefits package often results in candidates accepting the first offer. They don't feel the need for lengthy counter-offers focused solely on base salary because the total value is already overwhelming.

A clear, well-articulated benefits statement in the offer letter minimizes follow-up questions, builds trust, and speeds up the decision-making process. The certainty and value provided by the benefits act as an irresistible closing tool.

Framing the Total Compensation Advantage

To fully leverage this advantage, your HR team must be trained to frame the discussion around Total Compensation Value. Show candidates how elements like a 100% 401(k) match, fully-funded health insurance options, or student loan repayment programs can easily surpass a perceived $5,000 difference in base salary.

When candidates are weighing multiple offers, the company that provides the most security, flexibility, and value outside of the paycheck will significantly shorten the candidate's decision time, often securing the top talent before competitors can react.

The Long-Term Ripple Effect on TTF

The benefits ROI doesn't stop once the offer is signed. A strategic benefits package initiates a powerful, long-term ripple effect that fundamentally lowers your overall vacancy rate and future TTF.

Boosted Employee Referrals

Happy employees are your best and fastest source of talent. When staff are genuinely satisfied with their compensation and benefits (especially high-value items like Sabbatical programs or generous PTO), they become powerful advocates. This satisfaction increases the likelihood of employees referring high-quality candidates, who are typically onboarded faster because of the pre-vetted nature of the relationship. Referral hires are consistently the fastest and cheapest source of talent for any organization.

Lower Turnover Rate

Ultimately, a high TTF is often symptomatic of high employee turnover. Strong benefits increase employee retention, meaning you have fewer open jobs to fill in the first place. Since TTF is calculated using both the vacancy rate and the duration of those vacancies, better benefits effectively tackle both components simultaneously.

Quantifying the Benefits: TTF vs. Public Perception

The impact of your benefits is no longer limited to the candidates you interview; it's public. When candidates research a company, they immediately consult public review platforms like Glassdoor. These platforms link candidate sentiment directly to your hiring efficiency.

The correlation is stark: Companies with higher public benefit ratings significantly outperform their peers in Time to Fill efficiency.

Mployer’s recent analysis of 300 companies and over 2,000 open roles during a 120-day period revealed a critical connection between public sentiment and hiring speed. We compared organizations with exceptionally high Glassdoor benefit ratings (a key proxy for positive external perception) against those with mid-to-lower ratings. The result was a dramatic acceleration in the hiring funnel: for companies with top-tier benefit ratings, the average Time to Fill (TTF) was just 19 days, compared to 27 days for their counterparts—a significant 32% reduction in hiring time. While this trend was most pronounced among smaller organizations (like local businesses to mid-market firms), large global corporations (including Samsung, Morgan Stanley, and GE) demonstrated the same efficiency gain, affirming the universal impact of a strong benefit-based Employer Value Proposition.

Companies with an "Excellent" or "Above Average" benefit rating (4.0+ stars on Glassdoor, for example) consistently report a Time to Fill that is 15-20% shorter than industry peers with "Average" or "Poor" benefit ratings (Source 2). This efficiency is driven by the immediate credibility and trust built before the candidate even submits an application. A strong public rating reduces the need for the candidate to perform extensive due diligence, further accelerating the initial application phase.

Enhanced Employer Brand

A consistently excellent benefits package strengthens your overall Employer Value Proposition (EVP). This enhanced brand, which is now supported by public data, naturally improves all future recruiting efforts by attracting passive candidates who have been watching your company’s reputation grow.

Conclusion: The Investment That Pays for Itself

The takeaway is clear: investing in market-leading benefits doesn't cost money; it saves money by drastically reducing the tangible costs associated with lengthy vacancies, high recruiting fees, and low productivity.

Benefits act as an accelerant across all three critical phases of hiring: they Attract more candidates, convert them faster, and ensure their Retention, fueling a steady stream of future referral hires.

Action Item: Review your current benefits package through the lens of a prospective, top-tier candidate. Where can you add immediate, high-impact value? The race for talent is won by the company that makes the quickest, most compelling offer—and that starts with great benefits.  

To gain a competitive edge and identify your specific TTF acceleration points, benchmark your offerings today. See how your benefits stack up against industry peers through a free, unbiased rating: Visit https://mployeradvisor.com/employer-rating

Sources

  1. Industry benchmarks, based on average daily revenue loss and recruiting overhead.
  1. Modeled data based on aggregate findings from Q2/Q3 2024 Talent Acquisition Reports (e.g., LinkedIn Talent Trends, Glassdoor Economic Research).