Exploring the Intellectual Structure of Employer Branding: Mapping Trends and Citations in the Web of Science

Abstract

Employer branding plays a distinctive role in attracting qualified employees to organizations and in enhancing the sense of belonging, performance, and productivity of existing staff. In this respect, it provides organizations with a unique and inimitable competitive advantage. Owing to its significant contributions to organizational success, employer branding has received growing attention within academic research. This study evaluates the existing employer branding literature indexed in the Web of Science (WoS) database by examining the citation counts of relevant publications and analyzing them across several parameters. A total of 592 studies directly related to employer branding were identified in the WoS database, and 26 of these—those receiving more than 100 WoS-based citations—were included in the detailed analysis. The similarities and differences among the most highly cited studies were examined accordingly. The findings reveal that employer branding studies have appeared in the WoS database since 2000 and that, although conceptual articles are fewer in number, they exhibit relatively high citation rates. The analysis also shows that employer branding is most frequently examined alongside employee-related variables such as human resources management, recruitment, organizational commitment, and employee motivation. Moreover, the results indicate that the most highly cited studies are typically published in SSCI-indexed journals specializing in marketing and human resources. Based on these findings, several recommendations are offered for researchers working in the field of employer branding.