employer pandemic response impacts long-term talent retention and loyalty - randstad employer brand research.

job security and work-life balance nearly as important as remuneration

The world of work has dramatically transformed in just over a year, and a majority of working-age adults consider job security and work-life balance nearly as important as remuneration when choosing an employer. This was one of the key findings of the latest edition of the Randstad Employer Brand Research (REBR). 

Completed in the first quarter of this year, the REBR is the most comprehensive employer brand research amongst working-age adults in the world, surveying the sentiments of 190,000 people in 34 markets. Overall, business response to the pandemic has improved employer brand strength with 68% feeling more loyal to their employer, and only 6% feeling less loyal. The survey also showed the importance of job security to the global workforce, with a quarter of those surveyed fearing they will lose their job in 2021.

The financial health of an employer has a direct impact on the loyalty of working-age adults and it is the most-often cited attribute of employers in the most attractive sectors. Working-age adults whose work routines have been affected first-hand during the pandemic also say they are more than twice as likely as those unaffected to seek new employment. 

Key findings include:

• Work-life balance (58%) and job security (56%) are almost as important as attractive salary & benefits (62%).
• 68% of survey respondents feel more loyal and 6% feel less loyal to their employer due to pandemic response 
• 40% of global workers were impacted by a change in employment situation due to the pandemic
• 26% of working-age adults fear they will lose their job in 2021
• Working-age adults whose work routines have been affected first-hand during the pandemic are more than twice as likely as those unaffected to seek new employment. 

motivators are changing - job security, business resilience and work-life balance among top factors

Although attractive salary & benefits remains the most important driver globally for attracting talent (cited by 62%), working-age adults say some non-financial factors are critical in their choice of employers. With the pandemic blurring the lines between work- and home-hours, the desire for a proper work-life balance is cited by 58% and job security by 56% of those surveyed. 

Although the top three factors for attracting talent have remained unchanged from last year, we found regional differences in this year’s data. For instance, career progression is ranked even higher than an attractive salary & benefits in Latin America – the only region for which financial compensation is not the top motivator. In North America and APAC, the second-most desired driver is work-life balance (60% and 54%, respectively), while in the CIS region, the financial health of the employer is considered very important (77%). Pleasant work-atmosphere is the second most important driver in Europe (64%), and in Latin America it is salary & benefits (69%). 

employer pandemic response strongly impacts talent loyalty and retention 

The different ways in which employers have supported their employees and handled the pandemic has had an impact on workforce loyalty and employer brand strength. More than two-thirds said they grew more loyal due to the support of employers, with 68% of survey respondents feeling more loyal to their employer as opposed to 6% who feel less loyal to their employer. 

Survey respondents in North America, Latin America and APAC feel most loyal towards their employer (average 72%), as opposed to those in the CIS region who feel significantly less loyal towards their employer (20%).

However, with 40% of global respondents impacted by a change in employment situation due to the pandemic, those affected first-hand say this experience has been hugely influential on career choices. Workers who were affected by the economic fallout are more than twice as likely to seek new employment over the next six months than those who were not impacted. 

IT and Communications hold its position as the most attractive sector; but agriculture is the biggest winner

The pandemic caused a lot of uncertainty in the world of work, but one thing that became clearer is the acceleration of digitalization. As organizations, workers and consumers fully embraced innovative ways of working and living, demand for tools and apps skyrocketed. This, in turn, helped the IT and Communications industry retain its position as the most attractive sector globally – cited by 57% of survey respondents. 

While this was no surprise – the sector was also the most appealing in our 2020 research – a much less tech-heavy sector made a big jump in attractiveness this year. Ranked fifth last year, the agriculture sector catapulted into second place for 2021. The automotive industry retained its third-place ranking from the year before.  

Although the agricultural sector is an attractive sector to work in, fewer respondents say they have the skills to work in this sector when compared to their assessment to work in most other sectors. Ensuring workers have the ability to work in agriculture by giving them more training and reskilling resources may be one way to build a robust talent pool going forward.

You can read more detailed insights here.

about the randstad employer brand research

The Randstad Employer Brand Research is the most comprehensive, independent and in-depth employer brand research amongst working-age adults in the world, identifying the most attractive employers among thousands of companies. The research surveys the views of over 190,000 respondents (general public, aged 18-64) in 34 markets. It provides insights into the perceptions and drivers of choice of survey respondents. The research addresses questions such as “Why do people prefer one company, or a specific industry, over another?” or “What motivates them to stay with an employer or start looking elsewhere?” The research, conducted since 2000, is conducted by Randstad’s international research partner, Kantar. Respondents for the 2021 research were polled between January and February 2021. 

about randstad

Randstad is the global leader in the HR services industry. We support people and organizations in realizing their true potential by combining the power of today’s technology with our passion for people. We call it Human Forward. In 2020, we helped nearly two million candidates find a meaningful job with more than 236,000 clients. Furthermore, we trained close to 350,000 people. Randstad is active in 38 markets around the world and has a top-three position in almost half of these. In 2020, Randstad had on average 34,680 corporate employees and generated revenue of € 20.7 billion. Randstad was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Diemen, the Netherlands. Randstad N.V. is listed on the NYSE Euronext (symbol: RAND.AS). For more information, see www.randstad.com 

for more information

Elise Martin Davies

+31 20 569 1732

press@randstad.com