Digital Recruiting high-N

In times of increasing skills shortages, it is an increasingly important challenge, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the growth sectors of environment and water, to attract and retain employees.

Generational change meets rapidly changing employee requirements and this, in combination with increasing digitalisation, is increasingly challenging employers to position themselves both strategically and operationally in employer branding, marketing and HR management in a future-oriented manner. The needs of employees with regard to their choice of career and company have changed, not least with the changing generations, from baby boomers to Generation Z, on the labour market. Hard factors, such as salary, are becoming secondary to soft factors, such as flexible work locations. Job searches are largely taking place digitally and not just via job search engines. As a result, an attractive company orientation and presentation on its own website, social media channels and platforms are becoming the central hub.

The demand for sustainable and digitally positioned companies will continue to increase with the next generation of employees (alpha), as climate change, social justice and sustainable behaviour, for example, are not only issues that these digital natives have been aware of from an early age when it comes to consumption. Their parents, who are heavily involved in decision-making processes, are also already members of social media platforms. It will therefore be crucial for the success of SMEs to focus even more strongly on sustainability in order to remain competitive.