> 1. stock options
> 2. stock grants
Very few regular people get these. Negligible if you consider the average worker.
> 3. health plan
I have not heard of an influx of health plans getting better over the last few years, have you? If anything, they seem to tack on more fees and deductibles every year.
> 4. 401k employer contributions
Negligible variations here, it's usually a single digit percentage. Haven't heard of a ton of employers suddenly upping these or anything.
> 5. sick leave
> 6. vacation leave
> 7. maternity/paternity leave
It's possible that employers have actually gotten a bit more liberal in these respects over the past few years. I am glad to see more companies acknowledging that paternity leave exists.
> 8. employer paid social security taxes > 9. other payroll taxes supposedly paid by the employer
Huh? How would this change my life for the better? Not sure this is a “benefit”, the employer wouldn't pay it if it wasn't legally required.
> 10. retirement benefits
You mean just the existence of a 401(k) plan? That's quite standard, few employers offer any sort of perks here; and they are usually large tech companies.