Randstad has been feeling the pulse of the labour market for over 20 years and has interviewed almost 200,000 people in 34 markets. This data show a picture of the current situation, but also developments arising from megatrends and the influences of new generations of employees. Find out here what highly qualified Swiss people look for when choosing an employer.
Why employer branding makes sense
But is it even worth building a strong employer brand? Are job-seekers really that critical and demanding? The figures show a clear picture: companies with a weak employer brand have to compensate for this with higher salaries (up to 10 % higher) but half of the respondents say that they don't want to work for a company with a bad reputation, even for more money. The key to employee satisfaction lies in an alignment of personal values with those of the company, say 96 % of those surveyed. And here, too, fine words are not enough: only 19 % of the study participants see a strong alignment between what their employer says about themselves and their experience of working there. Over 80 % see the promises not being fulfilled or only partially fulfilled.
The ideal world
What is the ideal world from the employees' point of view? What does an employer have to offer?
The top ten for Switzerland in 2021 are as follows (1 to 10):
- pleasant work atmosphere
- competitive salary and benefits
- job security
- work-life balance
- financial stability
- career progression
- opportunity to work from home
- giving back to society
- COVID-19 safe work environment
- excellent reputation
The first five criteria have not changed in the last three years under review and only vary in terms of rankings.
Those who can choose are picky
In addition to specific industries such as health care or scientific professions, highly qualified employees are particularly in demand. Even if the proportion of 25 to 34-year-olds with a tertiary degree is currently around 46 % * in Switzerland, we are still lagging behind compared to Canada or Korea (both 60 + % *). The pursuit of high added value also leads to a greater need for very well-trained employees.
The Randstad study showed that highly qualified Swiss women attach greater importance to 11 out of 16 employer criteria than do people with an intermediate or lower level of education. One exception, for example, was the “COVID-safe work environment” criterion. Professionals in the catering, retail or production sectors are particularly aware of this, and they tend to have no tertiary qualifications. Job security and the employer's financial stability are equally weighted by all employees.
The framework has to be right
Anyone who evaluates the Randstad study on what highly qualified people in Switzerland expect from employers will notice two clusters. In the top category, with over 70 % of mentions, are the actual general conditions for a job: working atmosphere, salary and benefits, and work-life balance. With all these criteria, however, it is not maximisation that plays a major role, but fairness. This means transparency and openness in dealing with people, competitive remuneration and a good balance between willingness to perform and room for personal interests.
A second category with more than 60 % of the responses are content-related topics: interesting tasks and future prospects are sought and challenged. Interestingly, the criterion “giving something back to society” is not one of them. The focus seems to be more on personal optimisation than on altruistic motives.
The reputation of the company, diversity and integration as well as strong leadership are also weighted higher than among professionals with an intermediate or lower education, but they are ranked lower in the criteria catalogue.
What is the bottom line for an employer? Highly qualified people are wanted and therefore they are courted. They place much weight on soft factors such as working atmosphere, work-life balance or prospects and content. According to the study, Swiss employers, in turn, have an image of being financially stable, enjoying an excellent reputation and offering secure jobs. This gap between image and expectations needs to be closed if the employer's profile is to be used as bait for highly qualified employees.