Accountants rate the length of their working week and annual leave entitlement as a higher priority than the more traditional favourite of employer contribution to a pension scheme.

Robert Half Finance & Accounting quizzed more than 700 UK accountants to find out their top 10 most valued benefits.

Accountants rated their top benefit as four weeks of holiday, followed by working 50 hours or fewer a week.

Employer contribution to pension schemes came fourth on the list, just ahead of a getting a lunch break of at least 30 minutes a day.

“With new regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley and the International Financial Reporting Standards, the demand for accountants has never been greater,” said

Phil Sheridan, district director of Robert Half Finance & Accounting.

“Contributing towards a pension scheme is clearly not the top priority. However, given the recent calls to raise the state pension age to 67, it is imperative that employees also understand the serious implications of not saving for the future.”

Belinda Martin, communications manager at recruiter Joslin Rowe, believes that the pensions issue seems to be sharply polarising opinions on benefit provision.

“If newly-qualified accountants in their mid-20s on nearly £50,000 are so blasé about pension provision, it definitely sets a worrying benchmark for UK plc’s other, less highly-paid employees,” she said.