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Chinese companies invest in branding to attract top graduate talent

Many brands have been slow to adopt employer branding as a tactic for attracting top graduate talent. But, as new research by global recruiting specialist Michael Page shows, employers in China seem to be at the forefront when it comes to investing in this area.

Peter Smith, MD of Michael Page East China, said that while career progression, salary increases and learning and development for employees “remain the top measures for companies to attract and retain talent”, the organisation itself is playing an ever-increasing role.

In fact, some two-thirds of the companies that feature in the 2017 China Salary & Employment Outlook survey said their organisations have already actively practised employer branding. Moreover, they attest to the power it has when it comes to attracting and keeping top talent.

Employment in China – what’s to come in 2017?

More than 3,400 employers in popular industry fields were included in the survey, which aimed to get an idea of headcounts and projections for the coming year.

Elsewhere, the research found that some 55% of Chinese mainland companies predict that they will increase their headcount this year. Comparatively, only 41% of multinationals based in China expect that they will increase their headcounts. Which begs the question, could this be a sign of shifting tides when it comes to what brands Chinese graduates and recruits opt for?

Additionally, 44% of companies indicated they would offer salary increases of 6% to 10% over the coming year.

In terms of hiring sectors, the study concluded that the industries set to expand at the highest rate were renewable energy, fintech, financial payment processing, digital media and consumer electronics.

Encouragingly, 86% had also made commitments to creating diversity and inclusion programmes – a key thing to shout about in order to enhance your employer brand.

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