14.2%in place
14.2% of organisations in the lumi HR community have sign-on bonuses used for any roles in place (base: 267 UK organisations, 2026 H1).
Figures describe organisations in the lumi HR community, not a random sample of UK employers.
How UK organisations answered
| Answer | Share of organisations |
|---|---|
| Not used | 85.8% |
| Used rarely in exceptional cases | 4.9% |
| Used for specific hard-to-fill roles | 7.9% |
| Used strategically as part of attraction strategy | 1.5% |
Definition
Whether sign-on (joining) bonuses are used, and how routinely — from never to a core attraction tool. See the methodology for how the base is built, how not-applicable answers are handled, the public floor, and which organisations are excluded.
For context, HR DataHub Talent Attraction & Retention Survey, Oct 2022 reports 15% (base: UK employer-prevalence).
Read more
- Bonus scheme design: UK benchmark 2026: the research paper this question is analysed in, with the full distribution, the legal context and what it means for reward decisions.
- Incentives & recognition: research, guides and metrics: everything lumi publishes in this area.
Cite this figure
Last updated 19 September 2026 · Data licence: CC BY 4.0 for the figures in the CSV download.
Source: lumi HR, UK Reward Metrics, September 2026, lumihr.co.uk/metrics/sign-on-bonuses-used-for-any-rolesLast updated 19 September 2026 · Data licence: CC BY 4.0 for the figures in the CSV download.
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