The future of talent: 3 employer branding trends you need to know in 2025

The world of work is changing. Companies are facing new challenges and opportunities when it comes to attracting and retaining talent.

In Germany, some industries are currently in crisis and various sectors are affected by massive job cuts. So this might not be the best time for employer branding and recruitment communications? In fact, quite the opposite should be the case. Now that the economy is in recession, it is important to act counter-cyclically and invest (further) in brand development - to be perceived as an attractive employer brand in times of growth after the crisis.

Like corporate and product branding, employer branding is a long-term process. It takes time to build a strong brand and to reach the relevant target groups. The same applies to employer brands as it does to product brands: communication during the crisis secures valuable brand capital.

2025 will be a pivotal year for forward-looking employer communications. I am focusing on three trends in particular:

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Trend 1: Purpose-Driven Employer Branding - Creating Meaning in Uncertain Times

Current economic and social challenges are changing the expectations we have of employers. More than ever, talents are looking for meaning in their work. If a company wants to be convincing in the future, it needs more than just advertising promises - it needs to promise values.

The latest representative generation study conducted by the pilot agency group revealed that 66% of Gen Y and even 69% of Gen Z think it is important that their (potential) employer holds the same values as they do. These changing expectations of Gen Y and Gen Z, who are driving the labor market now and for years to come, present new challenges for organizations. Talented people today are looking for more than just a job, they are looking for meaning in their work.

Employer branding communication must therefore be purpose-driven - in other words, it must focus on the company's purpose and the values it lives by. It is about credibly communicating the positive contribution the company makes to society and how employees can be part of it.

Especially in uncertain times, as we are currently experiencing in some industries, employees long for orientation and stability. A company that knows its purpose and communicates it clearly offers exactly that. It shows what the company stands for as an employer, even if the general conditions change. With purpose-driven employer branding, companies secure competitive advantages and differentiating features in the battle for the best talent.

The good news is that purpose is not just for large corporations with elaborate sustainability strategies. Smaller and medium-sized companies also have a purpose - it is often even more tangible and authentic because it is directly linked to the corporate culture or the values of the owner family. Even unknown employer brands can effectively create visibility and relevance in the market with a value-based communication strategy.

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Trend 2: Employee Advocacy - Real Stories with Maximum Reach

I'd like to clear up a perceived misunderstanding at this point. Employer branding is NOT advertising. All too often, HR professionals still think of one or more advertising campaigns when it comes to employer communications. But if you want to attract people, you don't score points with advertising content, you need authentic messages.

Employee advocacy plays a key role in this. Employees' own stories and real insights into everyday working life are more credible and effective than any advertising campaign. Companies should therefore encourage and empower their employees to share their personal experiences on social media. This can be done through training, providing content, an open communication culture and corporate influencer programs.

However, employee advocacy is only fully effective when combined with a holistic corporate social media strategy. This refers to the effective integration of organic content and paid campaigns to successfully reach the company's key audiences and stakeholders. Companies and employers can use the following principles to tell authentic stories with maximum reach:

• Authentic employee posts (organic): Regular personal contributions create credibility, intimacy and continuity in communications.
• Targeted amplification (paid): Ongoing paid media support gives this organic content even more exposure and allows for targeting of specific recruiting target groups.
• Accompanying employer branding campaigns: Campaigns ultimately serve to communicate value-based messages and themes from the company's perspective and to embed employee contributions in a strategic context.

In the future, this type of corporate social strategy will be more important than ever for the optimal visibility and digital presence of companies, because potential employees, stakeholders and AI-based search algorithms rely heavily on social media content when researching companies or employers. All the more reason to get started now.

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Trend 3: Employer Branding becomes Experience Branding - Experiences instead of Promises

Last but not least: The claim level is not enough. Attractive employer branding alone is not sufficient – companies must also create the right experiences. It should not just be about making (value) promises to employees and potential applicants. Companies must also deliver on those promises – through real experiences. This is the only way to build a truly credible and, above all, sustainable employer brand.

Experience branding is the consistent evolution of traditional employer branding. It is about organizing the working day and the corporate culture in such a way that employees and talents have a positive experience - from the first contact to long-term career development. At its core, experience branding means impressing employees as an employer through lived experiences.

Companies should analyze their employees' employee journey in a structured way and identify moments in which positive experiences can be created in a targeted manner. These can be larger projects such as the introduction of individual further training programs or enabling more flexible working time models. But even smaller gestures, such as official acknowledgement from company management for employees' career milestones, increase the emotional bond with the employer and strengthen the employer brand.

The use of immersive technologies such as virtual reality can further intensify the experience of employer brands in the future. Virtual reality tours of the company, interactive onboarding processes or live insights into real work processes could enable potential employees to experience the company and its culture up close before they even apply.

Experience branding requires a close integration of communication, technology and corporate culture. Continuous feedback and internal platforms for the exchange of experiences and ideas are essential. HR and company management must be prepared to regularly review the ‘employer experience’ and be willing to change.

Those who dare will be rewarded. This creates a dynamic, experience-orientated employer brand that impresses through credibility and commitment. Employer branding doesn't get any better than this.

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Conclusion: Authenticity is key.

All three trends presented are closely linked. But there is one overarching theme: authenticity. Companies that focus on authentic employer branding communication now and anticipate the aforementioned trends at an early stage will ultimately attract the best talent, retain them in the long term and build a strong employer brand.

Finally, two representative and motivating figures from our current generation study by pilot: 72% of Gen Y (aged between 30 and 45) and 77% of Gen Z (aged between 16 and 29) consider authentic employer communication to be personally important and relevant. In this respect: The best time for employer branding and the right strategy is now.

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About the guest author: Markus Kempf-Tschirko

is the managing director of the pilot agency group's corporate division, which specializes in employer and corporate communication. Together with his team, he advises and supports companies such as Stage Entertainment, Malteser Hilfsdienst, Ernst Klett Verlag and the Helmholtz Research Center Munich.

With almost 25 years of professional experience in the media industry, he has a deep understanding of the requirements of corporate and employer communication and is a proven expert in this field. Previously, he worked as a presenter and journalist for private and public broadcasters.