There are two types of job seekers - those who want to be the choice and those who want to make a choice.

Highly qualified and promising employees are actually tough to find. And even harder to be kept around for long. That is why top brands usually develop a distinct employer value proposition, a.k.a. “an offer you can’t refuse.”

To better understand this, we’ve gathered a bunch of intriguing employer branding statistics to tickle your curiosity with:

  • 50% of candidates wouldn’t work for a company with a bad public image.
  • 76.5% of American men and women wouldn't associate with a badly reputed company
  • 77% of unemployed individuals prefer not to join an organization with a bad reputation
  • Employee turnover can be decreased by at least 28%
  • SMBs use social media 47% of the time to increase their reputation
  • Roughly 8 in 10 people use social media to search for a job
  • 36% of companies state a strong connection between their user and employer brand
  • 86% of the employees in HR believe recruitment will become like marketing

Key Employer Branding Statistics to Know

1. 55% of the people looking for a job will abandon a specific application after reading negative online reviews about the company

It seems like employers aren’t the only ones doing research on potential candidates. People also take time to do an investigation of their own, and this includes social media, corporate websites, specialized employee platforms, and other generally accessible online reviews.

A company’s values, responsibility, and reputation are essential, hence why many business owners focus on having solid branding as various employer brand stats indicate.

2. 50% of candidates wouldn’t work for a company with a bad public image.

That is actually quite impressive! More so due to the fact that half of all candidates wouldn’t consider working for that company even if they offered a pay increase.

Especially since the latest job satisfaction statistics point out that more than half (about 52%) of the US employees looked for new jobs in 2019.

To fully grasp the impact of employer branding, check out this next stat:

3. 76.5% of American men and women claim that they wouldn't associate with a company that has a poor reputation.

Women in America are moodier when it comes to being associated with a badly reputed company. According to recent HR statistics, a whopping 86% of American women don’t want that type of connection. Men’s figures are significantly smaller, with 67% stating they don’t want to be connected with a company that has a bad reputation.

4. 77% of unemployed individuals would prefer not to join an organization with a bad reputation.

This is a rather intriguing fact that also makes quite a statement. Almost 8 in 10 candidates would actually reject an opportunity to work for an employer with a bad brand reputation, even if they are currently unemployed.To add to this, the projected unemployment rate for 2020 in the US is likely to remain at 3.5%. The number, though, is estimated to increase during the next few years, as unemployed individuals are evaluating their options thoroughly.

5. 68% of millennials will examine the employer’s social media channels before they apply for a job.

According to these employer brand statistics, two-thirds of millennials will stay true to their specific consumerist culture.

They will try to evaluate the company's brand behavior based on customer service experience and employee feedback, community comments, and further specifics. Precisely 12% fewer Gen-Xers would ever do that. Boomers who are expected to engage in such activities are around 20% less.

6. Businesses with positive brand development get twice as many job applications than those with a negative reputation.

This is why a positive and consistent employer branding strategy is a vital aspect to consider. Consequently, businesses manage to spend significantly less time and money on the recruitment process. They ultimately employ more qualified professionals.

The results are not always easy for measuring, but surely include an improved return of investment for the HR departments.

Employer Branding Statistics 2020

7. Employee turnover can be decreased by at least 28%.

When a company invests in different types of employer branding research, it can decrease employee turnover by at least a third.

These include coming up with a thoughtful content plan, defining a competitive EVP (employee value proposition), enhancing your social media performance, and more.

8. Companies with a solid reputation can see an increase of 50% more qualified applicants.

One of the major employer branding benefits is having highly qualified candidates applying for jobs in a well-reputed company.

According to these brand recognition statistics, businesses with a solid reputation are 50% more likely to attract qualified applicants for an available position.

9. 61% of surveyed employees state that their CEO/President knows what employer brand is.

Statistics on employer branding suggest that almost two-thirds of employees are confident that their boss knows what employer brand is and also employs it.

Additionally, 11% of the surveyed individuals state that their boss doesn't know what that term is, and 28% are unsure if their CEO is aware of any employer branding strategies.

10. Small and mid-size businesses use social media 47% of the time to increase their reputation.

7 in 10 of the world's top recruiters state that employer branding does have a remarkable impact on hiring. According to them, these businesses focus more on their websites (69%) and professional networks (61%) to increase their reputation, while social media comes in last.

The most recent branding statistics also suggest that posting regularly on social media will have more people engage with the brand, and therefore, attract potential candidates.

Which brings us to address the next stat:

11. Roughly 8 in 10 people use social media to search for a job.

Social media is an excellent starting point for any business to get their story out into the real world. According to these social media recruitment stats, about 79% of job seekers are more likely to search for a job using any social media channel.

For these reasons, it is imperative that a business stays on top and posts regularly on social media. As we can see, this is one of the most common trends in employer branding when a company uses these channels for exposure, as well as to attract top talent.

12. 61% of companies have well-developed EVP.

It seems like EVP is still far from being a pervasive tactic, as a little less than two-thirds of all companies have use of this strategy.

Various statistics for this employer branding tactic suggest that the EVP doesn’t seem to be adequately distributed within the internal marketing and PR structures of the companies themselves.

Most of the CEOs hardly even acknowledge its existence. These employer brand statistics state that 44% of all CEOs don’t even know that their company utilizes EVPs.

Employer Branding Market Metrics, Size & Estimates

13. 36% of companies state that there is a strong connection between their user brand and its employer brand.

More than 52% of those companies predict that this connection will keep getting stronger in the next five years, as these employer branding statistics indicate.

This underlines a tendency of merging the strategies for obtaining potential customers and attracting potential employees. It’s undoubtedly an intriguing one that will make it to the marketing history textbooks.

14. 86% of the employees in HR believe recruitment will become like marketing.

Numerous employer branding articles cite this to be true. Every 8 in 10 HR recruiter believes that a formidable employer brand will play a pivotal role in companies acquiring top-talented individuals.

Social media will play a major role in this as businesses are being called upon to stay present and engage regularly.

Speaking of social media, let’s see what the estimates say:

15. 70% of companies will increase social media use, especially for employer branding.

Over the next five years, businesses will increase their exposure on all social media channels. Employer brand tactics are poised to grow, as reports suggest that 7 in 10 companies are looking to increase their social media presence over the next five years.

Furthermore, half of those already measure the activities and impact of their social media strategies.

Summary

What we can take away from these employer branding statistics is that recruiting and marketing will look alike in the future.

Talent acquisition is traditionally challenging. However, with a combination of ways a company can convince potential employees that it’s a great place to be at.

Furthermore, user and employer branding are projected to become increasingly interconnected in the near future. This means that targeted customers and potential employees will be approached with similar quality claims, addressed with co-related marketing messages, and reached through the same media channels.