Women in Belgium set higher standards than men when choosing an employer, especially regarding salary and benefits, work atmosphere and work-life balance.
Of the 16 analysed criteria that play a role in the choice of an employer, women consider nine more important than men, including pay and benefits, work atmosphere and work-life balance, while men set the bar higher for just two criteria — newest technologies and financial health — according to Randstad Research's study into the Employer Brands of major Belgian companies.
"Part of the explanation is the higher average education of women. Those with higher education are also much pickier than those with lower education," a Randstad Research report read. For five other criteria, the difference is less significant, including job security.
Jan Denys, Randstad labour market expert, said that this aspect of employer branding is becoming more important as a result of the labour shortage, but that this is not the most obvious way for companies to tackle the shortage.
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"Other actions are more effective for that: more intensive recruitment, adapting selection requirements, tapping into new target groups and adapting work organisation," he said.
Location, location, location
The overall ranking of the importance of certain criteria for choosing an employer rarely undergoes major changes, however, despite the rise in remote working, the location of the company has now become the fifth most important criteria, following wages, working atmosphere, job security and work-life balance.
"The location of the company has become more important this year with a score of 48%, a gain of three percentage points. This puts it in fifth place. Never has this criterion scored higher," the report read. This criterion has a much lower score in Europe (42%).
Meanwhile, the study also found that the criteria of diversity and inclusion are a less important reason for choosing an employer in Belgium, and worldwide.
