While the economy and job market may have slowed, many organizations are still challenged with finding top talent. In fact, a recent CareerBuilder.com survey of more than 2,700 hiring managers found that nearly 40 percent of employers have positions for which they can’t find qualified talent. Employment branding has emerged as an important way to distinguish employment opportunities and attract the best candidates, yet nearly three-in-five (57 percent) of employers say they don’t have an employment brand.

A lot of employers currently rely solely on their consumer brand to attract talented candidates but that appears to be changing. Nearly one-third (31 percent) of employers do not think their company or employment brand is enough to attract qualified workers.

Comparing industries, 29 percent of leisure and hospitality employers surveyed say they have an employment brand, one of the highest across all industries surveyed. Manufacturing, transportation and utilities employers were among the least likely (15 percent) of the industries surveyed to say they have an employment brand.

“Our study shows that one-in-five workers plan to leave their current jobs in the next 12 months,” said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources for CareerBuilder.com. “It also confirms that workers today are placing a greater emphasis on the company’s work culture when considering new employment opportunities. A strong employment brand can help shape expectations around the company’s vision, mission and employee experience and give you an edge in not only preserving existing talent, but attracting those candidates that will thrive in your environment.”

When looking for a new job, workers cited the following factors as the most important in evaluating a potential employer:

· Good work culture (62 percent)

· Stability and longevity in the market (61 percent)

· Reputation for being a great place to work (60 percent)

· Good career advancement opportunities (53 percent)

· Ability to offer flexible schedules (49 percent)

When asked what would most likely get them to respond to a job listing besides competitive pay and benefits, workers ranked different factors as follows:

· Company’s stability and growth potential (50 percent)

· Clear sense of what the job entails (49 percent)

· Good career advancement opportunities (47 percent)

· Training and learning opportunities (42 percent)

· Programs for healthy work/life balance (37 percent)

· Sense of ownership in one’s position (34 percent)

· Camaraderie, family-like work environment (33 percent)

· Employee recognition programs (28 percent)

How does your company stack up? Are you well on your way in regards to employment brand development? If not, you’re not alone, but this is a great opportunity for you to really make some waves in your particular industry.

Often one of the biggest challenges in creating an employment brand is getting buy-in from your executive team that this is important and should be funded. Hear Jason Ferrara, Vice President of Corporate Marketing at CareerBuilder.com build a business case for Employment Branding, in this oldie but goodie webinar.