Training and job security are the biggest motivators for attracting and retaining staff, according to new research by Parity Training.

Companies put job security as the third highest motivator (46%), after obvious factors like career prospects (69%) and salary (65%), while 29% of companies saw the value of offering training as an incentive to attract the best staff.

UK workers are often accused by their European counterparts of having a poor balance between home and work life, because of long working hours and the time spent travelling to and from work. However, work/life balance was only seen as a motivator by 8% of the companies interviewed, with private medical insurance regarded as a perk in only 4% of cases. None of the companies surveyed valued childcare as a motivating factor.

"It’s interesting to see that the more traditional perks are attracting new staff, or encouraging current employees to stay," said Pat O’Kane, executive recruitment manager at Parity. "Training is an important part of career progression, and often gives staff the opportunity to move into new areas, or keep them enthused about their role. Bespoke courses for whole teams within companies, as well as sessions for individuals wishing to learn specific skills, can help develop technical and management techniques."

"Following the recent spate of redundancies, job security is important, so it’s not surprising to see that this is more of a motivating factor than work/life balance or medical insurance. Many people are grateful to be in full-time employment, so see a balance between home and work life as an added bonus, rather than critical to job satisfaction," he added.