Industry Research Summary: The State of Employer Branding and Recruitment Advertising 2022

Build a strong employer brand and recruitment advertising strategy to attract candidates and improve the employee experience

Call it what you want. Great resignation, great migration, great talent swap. It doesn’t matter much. The point is that, especially in the U.S., employees have quit their jobs in droves in search of greener pastures, whether that means retirement, finding a new employer, starting their own businesses or just staying home with their families.

Whatever the reason, many employers find themselves desperately trying to woo new employees in a tight labor market while also striving to retain the people they already have.

To cope, more employers are eager to improve and burnish their employer brands, a strategy intended to boost both recruitment and retention. This means positioning themselves as an employer of choice, offering candidates and employees the exceptional experience that they’re looking for. Employers are also trying to advertise for open positions in a compelling way that complements the employer brand.

How many organizations have achieved this level of employer branding success? How can they even measure that success? And what do best practices look like in 2022?

To find out, the HR Research Institute ran its fourth annual comprehensive survey of employer branding and recruitment advertising.

Here are the top findings from the survey:

More than two-thirds of respondents say that their organization is intentionally building their employer brand, while an additional 27% are developing or considering developing an employer brand in the near future.

However, while the interest in employer branding is clear, the results are mixed thus far—37% say they are working on their employer brand but that it is not well-known in their industry.

One of the most important functions of an employer brand is to attract top talent. With nearly three out of four companies reporting difficulty attracting employees, employer branding is more important than ever in this area. However, only 49% of our respondents feel that their employer brand is good or excellent at attracting quality job candidates.

Moreover, 22% say their organization is dismal or below average at attracting such candidates. Organizational brands are only a little better at retaining
workers, with 53% saying that their employer brand is good or excellent at retaining existing employees.

 

More than 90% of organizations are struggling with obstacles that are impeding their employer branding efforts. The lack of personnel who focus on employer brand creation is the most common issue faced, cited by more than half of respondents (55%). Other barriers include a lack of time (40%), a lack of financial resources (30%), a lack of know-how (29%), and a lack of data or metrics (26%).

Only 11% feel there is no business case for an employer brand, and just 3% feel that there is no genuine need for employer branding.
 

 

To learn more about The State of Employer Branding and Recruitment Advertising 2021 survey and to get strategic outcomes and 9 key takeaways from this exclusive HR.com Research Institute research, please read the complete report here: