Employee Benefits and Firm Value of Listed Nigerian Consumer Goods Manufacturing Firms

Abstract

The practice of rejigging the firm value of manufacturing companies by considering employee benefits after the adverse effect of the global lockdown of COVID-19 formed the crux of this study. The study investigated the influence of employee benefits on the firm value of listed manufacturing firms in Nigeria. Specifically, it examined the influence of incentives, health, safety, life insurance, and retirement benefits on firm value. The study adopted ex-post facto and longitudinal research designs. 22 consumer goods manufacturing firms listed on the Nigeria Exchange (NGX) formed the study population as of December 31, 2021. A census sampling technique was used, automatically making the 22 listed firms the study’s sample size. Data were obtained from published annual reports of the firms covering ten years, starting from 2012 to 2021 financial year. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and panel regression. Findings revealed that incentives, health, safety, life insurance, and retirement benefits negatively and significantly affect Tobin’s list of consumer goods manufacturing firms in Nigeria. The study concluded that re-strategising incentives, health, safety, life insurance, and retirement benefits as policies would make firms perform better and increase their value. The study recommends that employee benefit policy and system be reviewed to reduce cost, staff population be cut down, and the firms adopt more non-monetary benefits to improve their wealth.