Against the backdrop of global economic volatility, geopolitical uncertainty and digital-intelligent transformation reshaping the global industrial landscape, enterprises are widely facing survival pressures and growth bottlenecks, with an urgent demand for breakthroughs through organizational innovation. As the core carrier of corporate strategy execution and value creation, talent has gained growing strategic importance, and talent competition has shifted from traditional compensation-focused rivalry to systematic competition over full-lifecycle talent value.
Employer branding, as a core channel for enterprises to communicate their talent value proposition and build differentiated talent appeal, has regained significant attention from HR functions. Yet it still faces fundamental challenges:
1. Divergent positioning: The industry has not reached a consensus on the value boundary of employer branding — whether it is merely a talent communication tool, or a strategic pillar integrated with talent strategy and overall corporate strategy.
2. Strategic execution gaps: Even when positioned as a strategic priority, employer branding struggles to align with core business priorities, and translate abstract strategic goals into clear, relatable and authentic messages for talent.
3. Full-lifecycle implementation barriers: It remains difficult to roll out employer branding effectively across the entire talent lifecycle and deliver tangible value.
Meanwhile, insufficient understanding and strategic emphasis on employer branding among senior leadership further creates internal practical obstacles.
Furthermore, as more Chinese enterprises accelerate global expansion for sustainable growth and long-term competitiveness, employer branding has entered a new development phase. Global employer branding strategy, localization, and effective collaboration between headquarters and overseas units have become critical industry priorities.
Built on five years of joint employer branding market research by HR Excellence Center (HREC) and ITS, this report focuses on the most pressing issues in contemporary talent and organizational management. Through in-depth analysis of leading practices, it presents key research insights, and provides an analytical framework and practical perspectives for building employer branding systems that enhance both market competitiveness and organizational cohesion.