The manufacturing sector faces a significant longer-term replacement challenge, with recent government analysis estimating advanced manufacturing alone will need to replace around 10,100 workers a year through to 2035, largely due to retirement, and total workforce demand reaching 148,000 by the end of that period.
Against this backdrop, new data from Westfield Health suggests one part of the benefits package manufacturers already offer may be an underused asset in the fight to attract and retain talent.
Westfield Health’s 2026 Workplace Health and Wellbeing survey, fielded earlier this year, asked UK workers to name their most valued wellbeing benefits.
A health cash plan was named among the top three choices by 16.2% of manufacturing workers – around 64% higher than the 9.9% national average, and the highest rate of any sector surveyed.
That pattern stands in contrast to how the benefit is actually being used.
New claims data from Westfield Health shows manufacturing workers’ use of their health cash plans skews heavily toward everyday, lower-cost care – 65.1% of manufacturing cash plan claims came via optical or dental care, significantly more than the national average of 58.4%. Conversely, claims for therapies (27.6% vs. 32.9% nationally), consultations (1.7% vs. 2.0%) and hospital cover (0.7% vs. 1.2%) all run below the national average.
Vicky Walker, Chief People Officer at Westfield Health, said: “It’s striking that manufacturing workers value health cash plans more than any other sector we surveyed. It’s a stat that sends employers a clear message: cash plans are a benefit people actively want, and that’s an opportunity to build on and strengthen, rather than treat as a settled part of the employment package. That message matters even more as the manufacturing sector faces a significant wave of workforce turnover in the years ahead.
Our claims data suggests employers can act on this opportunity. With nearly two-thirds of claims coming through everyday care, there’s a case for looking at what’s driving that – whether it’s the breadth of provision, how well the workforce understands what’s available, or how much they’re encouraged to use their full benefits package. The answer will differ from company to company, which is exactly why the starting point for manufacturing businesses is a proper review: what’s in the package, how it’s being used, and where there’s room to improve.
That said, an employer can’t educate on or encourage use of a benefit that isn’t there in the first place. So the first question every manufacturing business should ask is how broad their cash plan actually is. For those looking to attract and retain talent, strengthening cover beyond the everyday essentials is where that review should start.”
Leave a Comment