40+ employer branding statistics every recruiter should know

Employer branding is one of the strongest hiring trends and it’s definitely here to stay. That said, some companies still underestimate its impact. We’ve aggregated the most important employer branding statistics to give you data you can use as a benchmark to grow your employer brand.

Employer branding statistics

All employer branding statistics presented below come from industry leaders including LinkedIn, SHRM, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, Bersin by Deloitte, Edelman Trust Barometer,  CareerArc, Jobvite, iCIMS, Melián-González & Bulchand-Gidumal, CareerBuilder and CR Magazine.

Before taking a closer look at the employer branding statistics, let’s answer an important question: why is employer branding important?

According to a LinkedIn study, 75% of candidates report check out the company’s online presence before applying. What is more, companies with a strong employer brand cut their hiring costs by 43%. This proves that an attractive employer brand helps to recruit ideal candidates while lowering the cost.

40+ top employer branding statistics

1. Impact on hiring

80% of talent acquisition managers believe that employer branding has a significant impact on the ability to hire great talent. Source: LinkedIn

2.Salary increase

Online reviews carry major salary increase implications. “Participants shown positive reviews required an average pay increase of between 35-40 percent for a job similar to the one they are doing now. But participants shown neutral reviews of a company required a higher average pay increase (45-50 percent more), while those who saw negative employee reviews required an even higher pay increase (55-60 percent more).” Source:  Melián-González & Bulchand-Gidumal via PR Newswire

Source: Melián-González & Bulchand-Gidumal via PR Newswire

3. Turnover costs

Source: LinkedIn

4. Time to Hire & the number of candidates

Source: LinkedIn

Source: LinkedIn

5.Growth rate

Companies with a strong Talent Brand Index on LinkedIn grew 20 % faster than those with a weaker talent brand. Source: LinkedIn

6. Brand awareness

66% of people who changed jobs recently were aware of the existence of the company before hearing about the job opportunity. Source: LinkedIn

7. InMail acceptance rate

Source: LinkedIn

8. InMail response rate

People who follow your company Career Page are 81% likely to answer your InMails that those who don’t. Source: LinkedIn

Source: LinkedIn

9. Using social media for recruitment

Increasing employer brand and recognition comes second on the list of reasons why organizations use social media for recruitment, with 77% survey respondents answering this way (preceded only by recruiting passive candidates with 82%). Source: SHRM

10. How recruitment professionals feel about branding efforts

51% of recruiting professionals plan to increase efforts in branding their employee culture. Source: Jobvite

11. Eagerness to apply

69% of active job seekers believe they are more likely to apply for a position if the employer “actively manages its employer brand”. This includes replying to reviews, updating profiles, sharing updates shedding light on the culture and work environment of that organization. Source: Glassdoor

12. Retention rate

Employer branding affects retention –  new hires of companies with a strong employer brand are 40% less likely to leave after the first 6 months. Source: Glassdoor via CareerArc

13. Cost of negative reputation

Source: Harvard Business Review

14. KPIs

“Only 33% of employers track employer branding initiatives to at least one HR performance metric (eg. CPH, retention rate, cost per application, etc.)” Source: CareerArc

15. Culture

Source: Glassdoor

16. Strategy

Only 57% of employers report having an employer brand strategy. Source: CareerArc

17. Tools

49% of employers believe they don’t have the tools to effectively enhance the employer brand.  Source: CareerArc

18. Factors influencing a candidate’s impression of a job

Online research is the second biggest factor influencing a candidate’s impression of a job. Source: Jobvite

Source: Jobvite

19. Who manages employer brand

In 36% of companies, recruiting collaborates with marketing/communications to manage employer brand. Source: LinkedIn

Source: LinkedIn

20. How many people manage your employer brand

In most companies, employer brand is managed by 1-5 people (52%) and in 9% of companies this role is not assigned to anyone. Source: LinkedIn

Source: LinkedIn

21. Channels to build an employer brand

A career site is the best channel for building an employer brand (61%) and traffic to this site is the best way to measure your employer site (36%). Source: LinkedIn

Source: LinkedIn

22. EB specialists

Source: LinkedIn

Source: LinkedIn

23. Unlimited budgets

If they had unlimited budgets, companies would like to invest in employer branding most (53%). Source: LinkedIn

24. Forming an opinion

Source: Glassdoor

25. Biggest roadblock to changing jobs

Not knowing what it’s like to work for a company is the #1 roadblock to changing jobs. Source: LinkedIn

26. How bad reputation affects hiring

Source: CR Magazine

27. Bad reputation vs. unemployment

Source: CR  Magazine

28. What damages your employer brand most

Negative reviews of products & services are the #1 factor damaging employer brand (rated as “damaging” by 95% of workers and “very damaging” or “extremely damaging” by 80% of workers). Source: CareerArc

Source: CareerArc

29. How job seekers evaluate employer brand

62% of job seekers use social media channels to evaluate the employer brand of a company. Source: CareerArc

30. Why employer branding matters

75% of job seekers take employer branding into consideration before applying for a job with a company. Source: CareerArc

31. Company reviews and ratings

61% of Glassdoor users say they look for “company reviews and ratings before making a decision to apply for a job.” Source: Glassdoor

32. Impact on changing jobs

92% of people would consider changing jobs if offered a role with a company with an excellent corporate reputation. Source: CR Magazine

33. Employee treatment

Employee treatment is the #1 category important in evaluating employer brand (for both employers and employees).Honesty and transparency came second in the survey. Source: CareerArc

Source: CareerArc

34. What candidates are interested in

While 66% of candidates are interested in your company culture, 54% and 50% are interested in perks available and mission, respectively. Source: LinkedIn

35. Interest in daily activities

Source: CareerBuilder

36. How responding to reviews affects your employer branding

“62% of Glassdoor users agree their perception of a company improves after seeing an employer respond to a review.” Source: Glassdoor

Source: Glassdoor

37. Why updating your candidates about their status matters

72% of employees report not being notified of the status of your application or decision made leads to a negative impression of that employer. Source: CareerArc

Source: CareerArc

38. How candidates get a sense of your culture

Social media channels serve as a “window into company culture”, with Facebook being used by 21% of candidates who want to get a sense of company culture based on browsing photos and content on the site. Source: Jobvite

39. Recruitment vs. marketing

Source: iCIMS

40. Employee voice

Employee voice is 3x more credible than the CEO’s when it comes to talking about working condition in that company. Source: Edelman Trust Barometer

Source: Edelman Trust Barometer via LinkedIn

41. Which brands are more trustworthy

“75% of U.S. respondents believe that companies whose C-Suite executives and leadership team use social media to communicate about their core mission, brand values, and purpose are more trustworthy.” Source: The Global Social CEO Survey, Brandfog via Glassdoor

42. What Millennials value at work

For Millennials, the “ability to learn and progress” is the principal driver of the employment brand of an organization. Source: Bersin by Deloitte proprietary research with Glassdoor

Employer branding statistics – conclusion

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