Employer branding in family-run SMEs

Katharina Wohlgenannt: The shortage of skilled workers within the Tyrolean tourism industry is undeniably one of the biggest challenges of the present and future. Especially in the catering and hotel sectors, the labor situation will continue to worsen in the coming years. According to the AMS Tirol, there are more vacancies in tourism than ever before and, according to the forecast of the Tirol Skilled Workers Monitor, there could be a shortage of over 35,000 skilled workers across all sectors in Tirol by 2030. Family-run SMEs are particularly affected, as they have difficulties recruiting and retaining qualified employees despite their key role within the Tyrolean economic structure. To counteract this problem, theory and practice suggest employer branding as a suitable strategy for creating an employer brand and for attracting and retaining the best employees. The focus here is on employer attractiveness, which has a decisive influence on who is perceived as an employer of choice on the market. Addressing the topic of employer branding, employer attractiveness and how this differs for generations X, Y and Z is therefore essential in order to remain competitive in view of the worsening situation.

Katharina Wohlgenannt: As part of the work, specific employer attractiveness factors for family-run SMEs were determined on the basis of current literature, summarized in ten dimensions and finally quantitatively examined within the German-speaking region for each of the generations X, Y and Z. The results of the study show that, in principle, the generations hardly differ in their assessment of the importance of the individual factors. A positive working atmosphere and teamwork are most important to all generations, while non-salary-related special benefits are attributed less value. However, if the influence of each dimension on employer attractiveness is considered, generation-specific differences emerge. This allows a specific set of criteria to be determined for each generation, which lists the factors that are particularly relevant for the respective age group when choosing a job. Figure 1 summarizes the top five criteria per generation.

The established list of criteria provides family-run SMEs with concrete points of reference for the implementation of specific measures per generation that are important for the recruitment and retention of qualified employees. The output of the master's thesis is therefore a useful tool for optimizing the employer branding of small and medium-sized family businesses in tourist destinations with regard to the generations and combating the shortage of skilled workers.

Katharina Wohlgenannt: Basically, small and medium-sized family businesses need to take initial measures to position themselves successfully on the labor market with the help of employer branding. Because without appropriate countermeasures, the shortage of skilled workers will get out of hand and the situation for companies will become even worse. It is therefore important to consider the criteria presented when developing an employer branding strategy for generations X, Y and Z, to respond to the wishes of the respective generation and to implement concrete measures in the company to increase employer attractiveness. DMOs or recruiting companies can also use the results to support the companies they serve in attracting and retaining employees. The work thus provides a perspective on how Tyrolean family-run SMEs can tackle the shortage of skilled workers in the long term and successfully assert themselves on the labor market in the future.