Singapore, 21 August, 2025 — Aon plc (NYSE: AON) has published its 2025 Global Benefits Trends Study, which emphasises Asia Pacific (APAC) as a region that is innovating in employee benefits strategy. The study demonstrates a robust regional emphasis on employee health, personalisation, and governance, distinguishing APAC from its global counterparts, with 518 global HR professionals and 103 APAC-headquartered companies participating.
Tim Dwyer, head of Human Capital for APAC at Aon, said, “As organisations navigate economic uncertainty and rising employee expectations, the ability to deliver personalised, equitable and cost-effective benefits is a strategic differentiator. Our survey signals APAC is leading the way in aligning benefits strategy with workforce needs. Through innovative, data-driven analytic programmes, businesses are building resilient, future-ready programs for their workforce.”
Key Findings for APAC:
Strategic Priority for Health and Productivity
APAC is the sole region to prioritise “health and productivity of employees” among its top five strategic priorities. This decision is indicative of the region’s dependence on service labour and the substantial influence of workforce well-being on global supply chains.
Personalisation is gaining momentum.
Thirty-two percent of the prominent multinationals that participated in the survey have global guidelines that mandate the introduction of benefit choice in local markets. In particular, APAC firms are more inclined to provide flexibility in terms of annual leave and career development, which is consistent with employee preferences. Additionally, 65 percent of employees at multinational corporations are prepared to forgo their current benefits in exchange for enhanced personalisation.
Benefits delivery that is facilitated by technology
In order to provide personalised benefits experiences, sixty percent of leading multinationals (i.e., multinationals that have a global benefits strategy, an effective governance framework that is formally adopted and endorsed by senior management, reviewed and updated on a periodic basis, and access to comprehensive data in the majority of countries) rely heavily on technology. 28 percent of APAC companies intend to implement AI-driven solutions, and they are among the early adopters of artificial intelligence (AI) for benefits selection and wellbeing support.
Cost containment continues to be of paramount importance.
According to the global survey, 31% of companies are contemplating remarketing or switching providers, while only 37% are investing in wellbeing initiatives. This indicates a discrepancy between strategic intent and execution.
Strategy execution and governance
Leading APAC organisations are three times more likely to have formal governance committees and senior management endorsement of their global benefits strategy, as well as 2.5 times more likely to have global benefit guidelines that specify preferred design and financing approaches.
Alan Oates, head of global benefits for APAC at Aon, stated, “Health and productivity of the workforce are crucial, and the large size of the populations in this region means that small changes can have a large impact. Prioritising the health and productivity of employees reflects the critical importance of the workforce in the region to the supply chain for many multinational organisations. Organisations across the region must continue to adapt their employee benefits strategies to meet evolving workforce expectations and economic challenges as they strive to remain competitive. This study underscores the importance of aligning benefits strategy with workforce needs while managing rising costs and governance complexity—especially in a region as diverse as APAC.”
Read the full report: Aon 2025 Global Benefits Trends Study
