Unveiling the Influence: Corporate Influencers and Employer Branding in the Skilled Trades Industry
Abstract
The skilled trade industry is a significant driving force for the development and prosperity of society and constitutes the backbone of the German economy with its small and medium-sized enterprises. Currently, waiting times for craftsmen stand at approximately three months. This trend is on the rise due to the continued and severe shortage of apprentices and skilled workers. Potential trainees are representatives of Generation Z and best reached through social media channels. Consequently, many companies deliberately utilize corporate influencers in employer branding efforts to win young talents. Corporate influencers have the ability to present specifically job-related content and offer more authentic insights into the daily work environment. However, do they genuinely influence the career preferences of potential trainees? The aim of this study is to investigate if and to what extent corporate influencer influence the perception of the skilled trades industry and career preferences of potential applicants. To investigate the impact of corporate influencers on the perception of the skilled trade industry and the respective career preferences of potential applicants, we conducted a study with 66 students from a secondary school in Germany. (1) First, we measured the perception of the skilled trades industry and career preferences of the participants. (2) Then we exposed them to previously selected content of two corporate influencers from the skilled trades sector. (3) After the exposure, we measured the perception of the skilled trades industry and career preferences of the participants again. For the statistical analysis we used regression analyses and T-tests. The findings of the study show that corporate influencer on social media positively influenced both, the perception of the skilled trades industry and the career preferences of potential applicants. Particularly, insights into daily work routines prove to be effective. Simultaneously, the study reveals that the employer attractiveness of the skilled trades industry in general significantly influences the perception of the industry and enhances applicants' interest in craft professions.
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| Titel | Unveiling the Influence: Corporate Influencers and Employer Branding in the Skilled Trades Industry |
|---|---|
| Medien | Proceedings of the 11th European Conference on Social Media - ECSM 2024 |
| Verlag | --- |
| Heft | 1 |
| Band | 2024 |
| ISBN | --- |
| Verfasser/Herausgeber | Vanessa Klopf, Prof. Dr. Carolin Durst |
| Seiten | --- |
| Veröffentlichungsdatum | 01.05.2024 |
| Projekttitel | --- |
| Zitation | Klopf, Vanessa; Durst, Carolin (2024): Unveiling the Influence: Corporate Influencers and Employer Branding in the Skilled Trades Industry . Proceedings of the 11th European Conference on Social Media - ECSM 2024 2024, 11 (1). DOI: 10.34190/ecsm.11.1.2137 |