Beyond the Paycheck: Using Fringe Benefits to Attract a Broader Pool of Applicants

Abstract

Using a personalized and incentivized discrete choice experiment, we present participants with relevant job options and vary salary, occupation, and fringe benefits framed as gender-neutral, male-typed, or female-typed. We find that fringe benefits are highly valued and improve perceptions of the firm across multiple dimensions. In terms of gender differences, female-typed benefits deter male participants, while all other benefit-participant combinations have a positive effect.