Almost half of UK workers would trade in their employee benefits if it meant they took home more pay, research has revealed.

According to Aon Consulting, 47% of staff are so concerned about their immediate future they would welcome the opportunity to trade off their benefits. Thirty-seven per cent would rather sacrifice their salary in to have better perks.

The survey of 1,300 employees showed 54% of staff under 35 would prefer to boost their pay packet, but only 44% of those over 45 would trade their benefits for cash given a choice.

Gareth Ashley-Jones, head of flexible benefits at Aon Consulting said: "Despite the temptation to opt for more cash, it is still promising to see that more than a third would be prepared to sacrifice some of their pay in order to receive better benefits.

He added: "I would urge companies to do more to educate employees about the value of benefits and to help workers ‘protect themselves from themselves'. For example, by leaving an employer sponsored pension scheme, the employee will also be turning down an accompanying company contribution to their pension fund.
 
"Rather than be given the choice of sacrificing these benefits altogether, employers should make sure that there are core levels of protection in place."