Sector-wide employer branding: the key to making critical shortage jobs more appealing

As an employer branding agency, we believe in the power of strong employer brands. But we also believe in collective action, when it is needed. And that moment is now. In sectors such as healthcare, construction, education and government we face structural challenges. We can no longer solve those with scattered job ads or corporate employer videos. A shared narrative is needed. A narrative that inspires, convinces and mobilises.

Such was the strategy that formed the basis of our campaign for Accountants Van Morgen (Accountants of Tomorrow). It emerged from the persistent negative image that the accounting sector had been facing for years.

On behalf of several accounting firms, we launched Accountants van Morgen, an inspiring campaign that rejuvenates and repositions the profession. We kicked off with Bockie De Repper, a famous Flemish TV personality, and later continued with content that aimed to challenge outdated clichés. The campaign targeted 16-to-24-year-olds, using recognisable role models, bite-sized content formats and clear calls to action.

The result? More students enrolled in accountancy studies, more young graduates considered a career as an accountant, and we also witnessed a renewed discussion in education. All Flemish colleges reported more students in accounting: from 25% to even 50%. In a few years, we expect more graduates entering the workforce, and more of them choosing a career in accounting. Exactly what the labour market needs right now.

Not only the accounting sector, but also the bus sector sounded the alarm. In collaboration with the FBAA, the professional federation for bus drivers, we created a campaign to promote the bus driver profession. Not as a one-off recruitment action, but rather as a sector-wide movement, powered by storytelling, engagement and genuine pride. And it struck a chord.

In The Netherlands you can frequently observe inspiring examples. For example: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and The Hague jointly launched a clever, combined campaign that engaged young people with the unfamiliar, yet interesting labour field of municipal maintenance.

Utrechtzorg (Utrecht Care) also made an impression with the “Ik Zorg Shop”, in which five hospitals joined forces to lower the barriers and make applying more appealing. Not as competitors, but as allies in a shared struggle.

An increasing number of initiatives focus on young people in the last year of high school. Collaborations between sector federations and high schools incite students to choose healthcare, engineering or education during events, workshops or social media campaigns. Not with tedious career fair talks, but with real stories and a credible vision for the future.

Equally important are the people who switch jobs, or even sectors. Think of administrative officers who want to start working in healthcare, engineers with an affinity for education or logistics profiles aiming to make social impact. Career changers require different communication: straightforward, motivating, and supported by a transparent training and onboarding process.

We already demonstrated with VDAB and Actiris that campaigns crossing regional borders can be successful. Through “Jobtrip” we showed job seekers which opportunities were available right across the language border, literally one bus ride away. Subsequently, we launched similar successful campaigns for the harbour industry and the education sector.

More than ever, we need broad, sector-wide campaigns that make shortage professions interesting for young people, career changers and re-entrants. Campaigns that emerge from shared interests, that transcend the competition between individual employers. The more parties work together, the stronger the message.

The initiative does not always have to come from sector federations. Employers can also collaborate and take joint action, as the successful campaign Accountants van Morgen demonstrates. The war on talent often requires more than just employer branding. It requires collective brand development. This is the only way to build a sustainable solution for the future.