Guidelines for retail employers to consider : Through the eyes of Gen Z soon-to-graduate retail students

Abstract: Attracting the right employees has been of strategic importance for many organisations, including retailers; and developing strategies to attract and attain a healthy talent pool has become common practice. The South African retail sector continues to face several challenges, including large skills shortages, negative employment perceptions, and the inability to attract graduates. Employer branding is an important tool in talent acquisition and retention, and developing employer attractiveness for an organisation. This study aimed to explore the attributes that soon-to-graduate retail students from Generation Z (Gen Z) consider when applying for employment in the retail sector. The research followed a qualitative approach, and made use of an exploratory design, with an inductive approach to gathering extensive data, which was collected through 25 telephonic interviews with retailing students. A thematic approach was followed to analyse the transcripts from the recorded interviews in order to identify themes and patterns. The results indicated that factors such as corporate reputation, economic benefits, working environment, and online presence are attributes that influence Gen Z soon-to-graduate retail students and their intentions to apply for employment