When considering a new job, workers in the healthcare industry are nearly 10% more likely to prioritize an inclusive workplace, compared with all other professionals.

That’s according to nearly 37,000 LinkedIn members surveyed in recent months about what matters most to them when they’re considering a new job opportunity. And that’s just one example of how candidate priorities can vary depending on what role they’re currently in. While there are a few things that virtually everyone cares about (more on those in a moment), LinkedIn’s data also reveals what priorities are uniquely important to specific talent pools.

Learning what candidates want is crucial for attracting the right talent. Read on to discover which priorities matter most to all candidates; how priorities can differ across candidates in healthcare, operations, and sales; and how you can find data on what your specific talent pool prioritizes.

Top priorities across all candidates — and what’s changing

Let’s start with the big picture: When LinkedIn asked members to select their most important factors when considering a new job, three priorities emerged as clear front-runners.

Compensation leads the pack, with 63% of candidates ranking excellent compensation and benefits among their top priorities. Work-life balance follows at 49%, while flexible work arrangements round out the top three at 44%. These three priorities have dominated candidate preferences for years, dating back to the pandemic.

But while these top priorities have remained remarkably stable, there’s been more movement just beneath the surface. Recent LinkedIn data shows subtle but telling shifts in what candidates prioritize.

In the first quarter of 2025, the fastest-growing priority for candidates around the world was working at a company driven by values that match their own.

That was particularly true in the United States, where company values saw a 4.3% rise in importance quarter-over-quarter (QoQ). The single fastest-growing priority in the U.S., however, was an inclusive workplace for people of diverse backgrounds, which rose by 9.8% in importance.

Interestingly, flexible work arrangements also increased in importance around the world, growing by 1% QoQ. In our analysis of last quarter’s movement, flexible work had decreased by 1.5% — only to swing back this latest quarter.

Moving on to priorities that declined recently, opportunities to learn new, highly desired skills ticked down a bit, continuing a trend we saw in the previous period. Given the uncertainty of the macroeconomic picture and the disruption of AI, candidates may be putting less stock in long-term value propositions.

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