1. The State of
Employer Branding
A global report on the hottest topic in talent acquisition

2. Contents
Introduction & Big Picture Findings 03
Executive Summary 05
Global Results 10
Conclusion 21
Appendix I: Results by Country 23
Appendix II: Results by Industry 30
Appendix III: Results by Company Size 31

3. Introduction
Employer branding is the new black. Articles, white papers, and
conference panels are popping up everywhere while discussions
and debates take place daily in the hallways, conference rooms,
and executive suites of companies around the world. Strong
competition for knowledge workers in particular and the
proliferation of social media have augmented the importance of
employer reputations in acquiring talent, particularly for the 80
percent of the labor market who are passive candidates1. Whether
or not a company is considered a great place to work can make all
the difference in attracting and retaining this top talent.
The hype isn’t just fueled by large corporations or household name
brands: employer branding is a hot topic among companies with
100 employees or 100,000, from Canada to India and everywhere
in between, and regardless of industry. So what’s really going on,
and what are companies doing about it? We took a closer look at
employer branding as part of our third annual Global Recruiting
Trends Survey. Our large and diverse sample of over 3,000 talent
acquisition leaders means our results are packed with powerful
data points and interesting insights for just about everyone.

4. The Big Picture
Employer branding is seen as important everywhere; 83
percent of global recruiting leaders agree it’s a critical
driver of their ability to hire top talent.
Over half (51 percent) of companies have increased their
employer brand investment in 2012 and a further 40
percent have maintained their spend.
Talent Acquisition is often at the helm, leading or co-
leading employer branding 61 percent of the time.
While career sites are viewed as a most effective employer
branding vehicle, viral channels – including word of mouth
and online professional networks – play a significant role in
building a company’s talent brand.
Despite the importance of employer brand, almost half do
not have a proactive strategy, and only one-third say they
regularly measure employer brand in a quantifiable way.
4

5. Executive Summary
TA leaders know employer branding is important and are investing more –
but strategy, listening and metrics are often missing
1. AWARENESS 2. INVESTMENT & 3. DELIVERY 4. STRATEGY &
ORGANIZATION MEASUREMENT
TA leaders say employer Companies are starting to Effective employer brand Many companies are not
branding is key to hiring invest more in employer delivery occurs as much adopting a strategic
success and an important branding, with TA leaders through viral channels as via approach and even fewer
long-term trend. often directly responsible. company-controlled ones.. are measuring for success.
 83% agree that an  A whopping 91% of  78% of TA leaders view  Only 54% of respondents
employer brand companies are investing their company website as have a proactive employer
significantly impacts their more or the same in 2012 their most effective channel brand strategy.
ability to hire top talent, compared to 2011, for employer brand.  53% claim to have a good
and 69% consider it a top primarily due to a greater  Of the remaining highly understanding of how their
priority for their awareness about employer effective channels, only employer brand varies by
organization. branding’s impact. one – traditional job boards different talent populations.
 The #1 action that TA  While the increase is a – is fully controlled by the  Most companies are not
leaders are afraid step in the right direction, it company. listening to the appropriate
competitors will do is invest hasn’t been enough to  Instead, employer brand is stakeholder mix: only 37%
in employer brand, and date: only 39% of TA coming to life in channels regularly survey new hires
lack of employer brand leaders report that they that companies influence and even fewer (32%)
awareness is considered have the resources needed without controlling: word of regularly survey
one of the top three for success. mouth, social professional candidates.
obstacles in recruiting.  61% of TA leaders have a networks and general  Measurement is the key
 Globally, upgrading primary or shared social media. area of weakness. Only
employer branding is employer brand  These channels have the 38% measure their brand
considered the second responsibility with benefit of touching passive relative to the competition,
most essential and long- Marketing or Corporate candidates in ways that and just 35% prioritize
term trend in the industry. Communications, with co- company-controlled their spend to shore up
ownership (39%) the most channels usually do not. key weaknesses.
common structure.

6. Methodology
Surveyed 3,028 recruiting professionals globally with a LinkedIn profile
All respondents:
 work in a corporate HR/recruiting setting
 represent an even mix of small, midsize and large enterprises
 have at least some budget authority
 focus solely or primarily on recruitment
Respondents by country:
UNITED STATES 755 CANADA 299 BRAZIL 226 SPAIN 100 UK 334 ITALY 99 GERMANY 97 NETHERLANDS 226 NORDICS 113 INDIA 255 AUSTRALIA 280
6

7. High awareness of employer brand’s impact

8. Talent acquisition (TA) leaders are highly aware that employer branding is
critical to hiring success
83%
Agree that employer brand
has significant impact on
ability to hire great talent
8

9. Large organizations lead the way in prioritizing
employer brand, but smaller companies are catching on
Prioritization of employer brand Top 3 long-term trends in recruiting
(by company size) professionals (by company size)
< 500 Employees 67% < 1,000 Employees
501-1,000 Employees 70% 1. Utilizing social and professional networks
2. Upgrading employer branding
3. Finding better ways to source passive candidates
1,000-10,000 Employees 67%
> 10,000 Employees 78%
> 1,000 Employees
1. Utilizing social and professional networks
69%
Agree that employer 2. Finding better ways to source passive candidates
brand is a top priority 3. Upgrading employer branding
for their organization
9

10. Employer branding is a top priority for companies worldwide
TA leaders who agree employer brand is a top priority (by country)
69%
GLOBAL AVERAGE
UNITED KINGDOM
UNITED STATES
NETHERLANDS
AUSTRALIA
GERMANY
NORDICS
CANADA
FRANCE
BRAZIL
SPAIN
INDIA
ITALY
77% 75% 75% 74% 73% 71% 70% 69% 68% 64% 61% 47%
Significantly more INDIAN Significantly fewer GERMAN
organizations prioritize employer brand organizations prioritize employer brand
10

11. In fact, employer branding rises to the top, regardless of the question
Top obstacles to attracting Biggest concern is that
the best talent competitors will… Top long-lasting trends
Utilizing social and professional
1 Competition 1 Invest in their employer brand 1
networks
Build and nurture strong talent
2 Compensation 2 2 Upgrading employer branding
pools or pipelines
Lack of awareness or interest Learn to use social networking and Finding better ways to source
3 3 3
in our employer brand social media more effectively passive candidates
4 Location 4 Improve their candidate experience 4 Boosting referral programs
Training recruiters and hiring
5 Recruiting team too small 5 Improve their referral program 5
managers
Recruiting team doesn't have the Further invest in their existing
6 6 6 Recruiting globally
right tools/systems recruiting tools
Lack of awareness that we're
7 7 Invest in new recruiting tools 7 Optimizing your career site
hiring
Inability to effectively use data to Hire recruiters to strengthen their Measuring quality of hire more
8 8 8
improve our approach team consistently
Quality of talent currently at our Negotiate better pricing with
9 9 9 Reducing spend on staffing firms
company vendors
Improve ways to track quality of Using CRM technology to manage
10 Company performance 10 10
hire talent leads
11

12. Investing more, with Talent Acquisition often leading

13. Employer brand investment is rising in 2012, primarily due to a greater
awareness of its impact
91%
Companies that are spending
more or the same on employer
brand in 2012 compared to 2011
51% 40% 9%
Spending More Spending Same Spending Less
Why spend more on employer brand?
1. Increased belief in the impact of employer brand 49%
2. Need to raise general awareness 48%
3. Difficulty recruiting quality candidates 47%
4. Increased competition 37%
5. Difficulty recruiting candidates in specific sectors 32%
13

14. TA leaders are organizing for success by partnering with Marketing and
Communications
Who owns employer brand?
39% 22% 15% 14% 10%
TA shares ownership TA has primary TA has no TA is a Company doesn’t
ownership ownership contributor think about EB
Most common departments that own employer
brand outside of Talent Acquisition
1. Marketing
2. Corporate Communications
14

15. Viral channels thought to be highly effective
for employer brand delivery

16. While websites are seen as most effective, viral channels play important
role in promoting employer brand
Five channels seen as most effective to promote employer brand
78% 56% 46%
Company website Word of mouth Social professional
networks
38% 34%
Social media Traditional job boards
16

17. Almost half already find social professional networks highly effective for
employer branding
Organizations that find social professional networks highly effective for promoting employer brand (by country)
46%
GLOBAL AVERAGE
UNITED KINGDOM
UNITED STATES
NETHERLANDS
AUSTRALIA
GERMANY*
NORDICS
CANADA
FRANCE
BRAZIL
ITALY*
SPAIN
INDIA
58% 57% 53% 48% 47% 47% 45% 44% 43% 40% 37% 35%
More organizations in FRANCE and Fewer organizations in GERMANY and the
CANADA consider social professional NORDICS consider social professional
networks to be highly effective networks to be highly effective
17 * Low base size (< 80 respondents)

18. Disconnect between focus and measurement

19. Despite recognizing its power, many companies don’t take a strategic approach
to employer brand
83% Recognize employer brand impact
54% Have a proactive employer brand strategy
53% Understand employer brand strength across different populations
39% Feel they have the resources to succeed
38% Measure employer brand strength relative to competitors for talent
37% Regularly survey new hires to understand employer brand perceptions
35% Prioritize spend on audiences where employer brand relatively weak
32% Regularly survey candidates to understand perceptions
19

20. Not many say they regularly measure their employer brand in a quantifiable way
only one out of three
20

21. Conclusion
We know that talent acquisition leaders around the world understand the importance of
employer branding. They're increasing investment—even at a time when doing more with
less is the norm—because they see it as a critical foundation for attracting the best hires.
However, two-thirds of talent acquisition leaders today admit that they don't consistently
and quantifiably measure the health of their employer brands, and almost half say they
lack a proactive strategy. Management can't succeed without measurement and focus.
In the end, the key opportunity isn't simply to improve awareness of your company as a
great place to work, it's to upgrade your strategy: by listening to key audiences and
observing how they interact with your employer brand; by assessing how you fare versus
your competitors for talent; and by investing differentially in engaging candidate
populations where you have the most to gain.
This is particularly true in an era in which social platforms have changed the game for
where and how identities – both corporate and personal – form and evolve. There was a
time when your employer brand consisted of the messaging that your company delivered
out into the marketplace and periodically refreshed. Today your messaging is being
consumed, supplemented and amplified – or questioned aloud – in real time based on
talent’s actual experience with your brand across multiple touch points, including social
platforms where prospective talent engages with you on a daily basis. And what often
rises to the top now, louder and clearer than your own messaging, is your talent brand –
your employer brand as seen through the social lens, incorporating what prospective
talent thinks, feels and says about your company as a place to work.
The good news is that, thanks to the reams of Big Data that are generated through billions
of interactions on social platforms like LinkedIn, it’s easier than previously to assess how
you’re really doing . And the companies that effectively assess their talent brands will be
able to prioritize spend, shore up areas of weakness, build out competitive advantage,
and ultimately engage target talent to greatest effect.
21

22. “ Today your messaging is being consumed,
supplemented and amplified – or
“
questioned aloud – in real time based on
talent’s actual experience with your brand
across multiple touch points.

23. Appendix

24. Appendix I: Findings by Country
AMERICAS EMEA ASIA PACIFIC
 45% of Brazilian TA leaders  France leads the way in gauging stakeholders:  India is the sole country that
measure their brands (vs. surveying new hires (46%) and candidates (45%) ranks consistently well above
33% globally,), which is likely are well above the global averages (37% and average on employer brand
why they claim to understand 32%, respectively). prioritization, strategic action,
employer brand strength and measurement.
across populations more often  UK Employer brand prioritization is well above
(67% vs. 53% globally). average, as is investment, yet UK TA leaders are
average or worse in measuring for success.  Australia is investing in
employer branding more
 Canada ranks second in citing  Germany has the fewest percentage of TA leaders aggressively than any other
effectiveness of professional who consider employer branding a top priority region (61% citing spend
social networks for employer (47% vs. 69% globally); TA leads most often (66% increase versus 51% globally),
branding (57% vs. 46% co-own or own employer brand vs. 61% globally). yet on all measurement
overall), otherwise they are in metrics, Australia is either
the middle of the pack in  Spanish TA leaders set a high bar for other average or below average
investment and organization. countries in calling the employer brand shots, with compared to other countries.
72% of TA leaders owning or co-owning employer
brand, far above the 61% global average.
 US TA leaders report above
average employer brand  In Italy, acknowledgment of employer brand
investment, yet they are significance is on par with other countries, yet its Employer branding winner
significantly below average on investment and measurement tend to be well across the board: INDIA
measurement (21% survey behind most other countries.
candidates vs. 32% overall;
31% survey new hires vs.  Netherlands TA leaders are well below average in
37% overall). terms of investing in employer brand and TA
owning it, yet they are more likely to measure
employer brand and use viral channels such as
online professional networks effectively.
 TA leaders in the Nordics lag on most dimensions,
except in measuring the health of employer brand
(42% vs. 33% globally).
24

25. Australia and the emerging markets lead the way in doubling down on
employer brand
Organizations spending more on employer brand in 2012 vs. 2011 (by country)
51%
GLOBAL AVERAGE
UNITED KINGDOM
UNITED STATES
NETHERLANDS
AUSTRALIA
GERMANY*
NORDICS
CANADA
FRANCE
BRAZIL
SPAIN*
ITALY*
INDIA
61% 58% 57% 57% 56% 53% 53% 48% 45% 45% 43% 38%
Organizations in AUSTRALIA and Organizations in ITALY and the
INDIA increasing spend more NETHERLANDS increasing spend
often than the global average less often than the global average
25 * Low base size (< 80 respondents)

26. There is significant geographic variation in Talent Acquisition’s role in
employer branding
Organizations where TA has total or shared control of employer brand (by country)
61%
GLOBAL AVERAGE
UNITED KINGDOM
UNITED STATES
NETHERLANDS
AUSTRALIA
GERMANY
NORDICS
CANADA
FRANCE
BRAZIL
SPAIN
INDIA
ITALY
72% 70% 66% 65% 61% 59% 58% 57% 56% 56% 56% 51%
TA leaders most empowered to TA leaders significantly less likely to
drive employer brand in SPAIN own or co-own employer brand in the
and INDIA UK and the NETHERLANDS
26

27. Emerging markets lead the pack with the most understanding of employer
brand strength by population
Percentage understanding employer brand strength across different talent populations (by country)
53%
GLOBAL AVERAGE
UNITED KINGDOM
UNITED STATES
NETHERLANDS
AUSTRALIA
GERMANY
NORDICS
CANADA
FRANCE
BRAZIL
SPAIN
INDIA
ITALY
67% 62% 57% 54% 54% 52% 52% 51% 50% 46% 44% 41%
INDIA and BRAZIL significantly more likely to
understand their employer brand strength
across different talent populations
27

28. There is wide geographic variation in measuring the health of employer brands
Quantifiable measurement of employer brand (by country)
33%
GLOBAL AVERAGE
UNITED KINGDOM
UNITED STATES
NETHERLANDS
AUSTRALIA
GERMANY
NORDICS
CANADA
FRANCE
BRAZIL
SPAIN
INDIA
ITALY
50% 45% 42% 35% 33% 32% 32% 30% 29% 23% 22% 20%
INDIA and BRAZIL more likely to GERMANY, ITALY, and SPAIN less likely
consistently measure employer brand to consistently measure employer brand
28

29. Most don’t survey new hires to understand employer brand perceptions;
wide geographic differences
Organizations that regularly survey new hires to understand brand position (by country)
37%
GLOBAL AVERAGE
UNITED KINGDOM
UNITED STATES
NETHERLANDS
AUSTRALIA
GERMANY
NORDICS
CANADA
FRANCE
BRAZIL
SPAIN
INDIA
ITALY
52% 46% 45% 39% 36% 35% 34% 34% 33% 31% 30% 23%
More organizations survey new Fewer organizations survey new hires
hires in INDIA and FRANCE in the NORDICS and ITALY
29

30. Even fewer organizations survey candidates; again, wide geographic variance
Organizations that regularly survey candidates to understand brand position (by country)
32%
GLOBAL AVERAGE
UNITED KINGDOM
UNITED STATES
NETHERLANDS
AUSTRALIA
GERMANY
NORDICS
CANADA
FRANCE
BRAZIL
SPAIN
INDIA
ITALY
45% 45% 39% 36% 34% 32% 31% 28% 26% 25% 25% 21%
More organizations survey new Fewer organizations survey candidates in
hires in FRANCE and INDIA AUSTRALIA and the UNITED STATES
30

31. Appendix II: Findings by Industry
CONSUMER MARKETING/PR/ HIGH TECH MANUFACTURING
GOODS CONSULTING
 Consumer Goods TA  Marketing/PR/Consulting  High-tech TA leaders  Manufacturing TA leaders
leaders are ahead of the are much more likely to (59% vs. 46% overall) are are just as aware of employer
curve, with 72% having have a proactive employer also more likely to use branding’s importance as
primary or shared brand strategy (64% vs. newer communication other industries, yet they are
ownership of employer 54% overall), and more channels such as online much less likely to make it a
brand compared to 61% likely to leverage online professional networks and top organization priority (59%
overall. They are also more professional channels such social media, and they are vs. 69% overall).
likely to feel they have the as LinkedIn (64% of this above average when it
resources needed for group cite effectiveness, vs. comes to regularly
success (48% vs. 39% 46% overall). surveying new hires (41%
overall). vs. 37% overall).
EDUCATION
MEDICAL/ FINANCE  Education TA leaders
NON-PROFIT
HEALTHCARE consider investing in employer
branding to be the #1
 Non-profit TA leaders cite  More than all other  Finance appears to be competitive threat, more than
the effectiveness of social industries, Medical and one of the more strategic any other industry. At the same
media more than other Healthcare TA leaders have industries as more time, they tend to over-rely on
industries (47% vs. 38% increased investment in respondents (61% vs. 53% company websites (84%) to
overall), but they are not yet employer brand due to overall) report a good communicate their brands,
capitalizing on other low- higher awareness of its understanding of their resulting in missed
cost ‘passive candidate’ impact. Yet, the industry is employer brand across opportunities to engage with
channels such as online below average in surveying talent populations, likely due passive talent. Education TA
professional networks (34% new hires (29% vs. 37% to better measurement: 46% leaders in particular have not
vs. 46% overall). overall) and surveying of Finance TA leaders yet fully realized the potential of
candidates (24% vs. 32% quantifiably measure their professional and social
overall). employer brands versus networks.
33% overall.
31

32. Appendix III: Findings by Company Size
1. AWARENESS 2. INVESTMENT & 3. DELIVERY 4. STRATEGY &
ORGANIZATION MEASUREMENT
 Employer brand is more  TA leaders are larger  54% of larger companies  Larger companies are
top of mind as companies are more consider channels such as much likelier to have an
organizations grow in size; involved in employer LinkedIn effective (vs. 47% employer branding
78% of TA leaders at large brand, with 67% owning or smaller) and 47% cite strategy (68% vs. 54%
companies consider co-owning it compared to social media as effective overall and 49% for small
employer branding a top 51% for the smallest (vs. 38% smaller). companies.)
priority (vs. 67% for the companies and 61%
smallest companies and overall.
 Smaller companies still  Larger companies (51%)
69% overall).
tend to rely more heavily regularly measure
 Those from smaller on word-of-mouth (62% employer brand relative to
 TA leaders at smaller companies report investing small vs. 49% large), likely competitors, significantly
companies recognize more in 2012 due to the an due to more limited more than smaller
employer brand’s long-term increase in hiring, while resources. companies do (34%).
importance; they rank it those from larger
one of the most essential companies are investing
 Larger companies (45%)
and long-term trends in the more due to a greater
prioritize employer brand
industry, even higher than awareness of employer
spend on audiences where
TA leaders at larger branding’s impact.
their brand is weaker,
companies.
significantly more than
smaller companies do
(29%).
Large companies are ahead, but
SMALLER ORGANIZATIONS
are not far behind
32

33. About This Survey About LinkedIn
The third annual LinkedIn Global Recruiting Trends Survey Founded in 2003, LinkedIn connects the world’s
was conducted online between May 2012 and July 2012. professionals to make them more productive and successful.
Recruiting professionals with a LinkedIn profile who opted in With more than 175 million members worldwide, including
to participate in research studies were sent an email executives from every Fortune 500 company, LinkedIn is the
invitation to participate. In order to qualify, respondents had world’s largest professional network on the Internet. LinkedIn
to focus solely or primarily on recruitment in a corporate offers a full range of solutions to help organizations of all
HR/recruiting setting, and have at least some budget sizes find, engage and attract the best talent. 85 percent of
authority. Respondents represented an even mix of small, the Fortune 100 use LinkedIn Talent Solutions.
mid-size and large companies. 3,028 corporate respondents
qualified and successfully completed the questionnaire.
Global statistics are reported as un-weighted averages of
corporate recruiter responses from the following countries: Additional Resources
Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy,
Netherlands, Nordics (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland), For employer branding best practices from industry leaders,
Spain, UK, & US. go to: talent.linkedin.com/employer-brand
For more information about this survey, please email: For a new way to measure your talent brand, see
research@linkedin.com talent.linkedin.com/talentbrandindex
To stay up to date on the latest research and insights from
1. 2011 research on job-seeking behavior. For more LinkedIn, follow @hireonlinkedin on Twitter and subscribe
details see lnkd.in/jobseeker-research to our blog: talent.linkedin.com/blog
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are registered trademarks of LinkedIn Corporation in the United States and/or
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owners. All rights reserved.
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