Are U.S. employers delivering on what potential employees want most? Results from a recent survey by Randstad US, a staffing and HR services company in the United States, indicates that in many cases they do not, and an "attributes gap" exists.

The top three employer attributes that jobseekers value most—salary and employee benefits (#1); long-term job security (#2); and pleasant working atmosphere (#3)—score fifth, sixth, and eighth, respectively, among the ranking of attributes on which they feel employers best deliver.

Conversely, the attributes that job seekers feel U.S. employers score highest on—financial health #1); strong management (#2); and good training (#3)—score just fifth, ninth, and seventh, respectively, among jobseekers' list of most-desired employer attributes.

"These findings reveal an 'attributes gap' between what U.S. jobseekers want and what they perceive potential employers to be best at providing," said Jim Link, chief human resource officer, Randstad North America. "What this should signify to employers is a growing disconnect that can be detrimental from an employee engagement, retention and, ultimately, cost perspective. While organizations may not be able to influence every workplace desire, managing workers' wants and needs should not only be done from a macro-level by the organization, but also much more frequently from a micro-level by managers to ensure alignment."

The Randstad Employer Branding Survey, an employer branding study with more than 200,000 respondents worldwide, also revealed that while salary and employee benefits is by far the most highly ranked attribute (62% of respondents ranked it in their top five), other attributes are growing in importance compared to previous year's report. The top three in year-over-year growth are: financial health; flexible working arrangements; and good training.

tips to bridge the attributes gap

To help employers and their HR leadership better bridge the "attributes gap," Randstad offers the following strategic suggestions to help maximize the effect of employment branding on the attraction, retention, and engagement of top talent:

• Measure and assess—Evaluate where you stand versus companies with which you compete for talent and determine the best steps to take to improve upon performance and/or perception.
• Specify an employee value proposition (EVP)—This requires a clear understanding of your corporate values and culture, and the drivers and motivators of employees, based on input from internal and external stakeholders.
• Clearly communicate—Be transparent and clearly articulate your employment benefits, programs and cultural offerings to prospective and current employees, taking into account the needs and desires of the target audience.
• Look ahead—Develop a 3-year plan to anticipate future needs of your employees and what employer attributes talent will view as most important. Arm yourself with insight leveraging talent analytics and predictive workforce intelligence to stay ahead of changing workplace dynamics.

About the Randstad Employer Branding survey

Annually, Randstad conducts the employer branding survey, which identifies the most attractive employers among thousands of companies. The survey captures the views of over 200,000 respondents (general public, ages 18 to 65) in 25 countries and measures the market perception of employers with the largest workforces in those countries. It is an in-depth research program that has been conducted by Randstad's international research partner, ICMA Group, since 2000. Respondents for the 2016 survey were polled between September and December 2015.

For more information on this survey, click here.