Millennials’ employer preferences and the role Corporate Social Responsibility plays in them

The purpose of this paper is to investigate what millennials prefer in their future employers. Three research questions were formulated from the purpose statement: (1) what kind of values do millennials prefer in their future employers? (2) How important are values connected to CSR for millennials? And finally, (3) how do group settings influence the importance of CSR in millennials’ employer preferences? In order to understand and explore the stated purpose, literature on the subjects of millennial employer preference, the millennial labor market and the Scandinavian context are used. Furthermore, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs was used to understand the motivational psychology of employer preferences. The theoretical framework on commitment, consistency and social influence was used to examine the influence of group dynamics on CSR preferences. The data was gathered through eight semi-structured interviews and one focus group consisting of all participants from the interviews. This interview data was analyzed through a thematic analysis whilst the findings from the focus group were examined through a content analysis. The main themes that were identified that outline millennials’ preferences in a future employer were; relationships, meaningfulness, career and structure. Further results from the thematic analysis suggest that millennials who are about to enter the labor market do not regard CSR as a crucial aspect in their employer preferences. Finally, the results from the focus group hint at a disconnect between private and public opinions in relation to CSR preferences