Employers in the public sector increasingly communicate on ethical values ​​to attract skilled personnel, compared with the private sector, according to Swedish staffing group Poolia's competence indicator 2016. The survey also shows that public sector employers focus their campaigns more on flexible working hours and less on wages and benefits.

As much as 89% of employers in the public sector indicated that they communicate on ethical values ​​in order to attract staff. In the private sector 78% of employers adopt the same strategy.

“The public sector often focuses on ethical values, social responsibility and diversity in its marketing to candidates. But I think more companies in the private sector will also highlight these issues more in the future”, says Anna Johansson, Key Account Manager Public Sector at Poolia.

According to the survey, while candidates still value the a challenging role and a good manager, flexible working hours and the opportunity to work from home has increased in importance since last year's survey. 70% of the surveyed workers indicated in this year's survey that flexible working hours are an important argument when seeking a new job. Public sector employers appear to communicate more on flexitime and home working in their marketing campaigns (45%) than their private sector counterparts (37%).

“Offering flexible working helps employees find the right work-life balance. For some candidates the argument can be more meaningful than a high salary”, said Anna Johansson.

When it comes to wages and benefits, however, it is the private sector that usually uses it to peruade job candidates. In the public sector only 29% of respondents said that wages and benefits are important arguments, while the figure in the private sector reaches 39%. However, 66% of the surveyed workers believe that wages and benefits are important.

“When procuring staff to the public sector the strong focus on the lowest price as a selection criterion can be problematic. Quality is easily overlooked and therefore public sector employers risk missing out on qualified candidates to the private sector and sometimes even international companies. Especially in the professions where the competition for candidates is fierce”, Johansson said.

Across the board, employers are looking into hiring more staff in the next six months. The proportion reaches 30% in the public sector, a marked increase from 20% last year. In the private sector 38% of respondents indicated they would increase their workforce in the next six months, compared with 23% last year.

“It is important to keep up with developments and analyse what the candidates are asking for to be able to match the needs of the organization with competent staff in the best way. Poolia's competence indicator in 2016 is a tool that can be used for this purpose”, concludes Anna Johansson.