As 2017 comes to a close, we at Metlife have our eye on five key trends for employers, brokers and advisors to watch in the year ahead, based on the findings from our 15^th Annual Employee Benefit Trends Study (EBTS) and other industry indicators. Here are the areas we believe are deserving of your focus in the year ahead:

1. Human/machine balance

New technologies that enable automation and digitization certainly have a lot of positive potential. But, from the employee retention perspective, these advances can also necessitate a renewed focus on engagement. According to Pew Research, almost three quarters of Americans are worried about a future where robots and computers are capable of performing many human jobs.

Smart employers will stay ahead of employee concerns and show their people they care–and are investing in them–by meeting their personal needs. This means benefits are more strategically important than they've ever been. In fact, 75 percent of employees say that the ability to choose their benefits keeps them loyal to their employers, according to MetLife's EBTS.