The Employer Brand Index (EBI)
The independent employer brand benchmark
The Employer Brand Index captures what employees, alumni and candidates say about you, scores it against 16 attributes of employer brand, and benchmarks you against your sector and your competitors.
Balance & WellbeingBalance5.83
Benefits & PerksBenefits7.20
Business ReputationReputation8.00
Career ProgressionCareer6.42
Company CultureCulture8.06
Change & StabilityChange6.10
InclusionInclusion7.55
ESGESG7.60
Innovation & TechnologyInnovation8.10
Job SatisfactionSatisfaction7.45
Learning & DevelopmentLearning7.60
Management & OrganizationManagement6.60
Mission & PurposeMission8.30
RemunerationPay4.72
Team & PeopleTeam8.50
WorkplaceWorkplace7.90
Trusted by global employers · Our benchmark covers over 10% of the Fortune 500
Why it matters
Your employer brand is being written right now — just not by you
Your careers site tells candidates what you want them to think, while reviews, forums and social posts tell them what to actually believe, and that conversation is what shapes perception and what we measure.
Employees are 2.5x more likely to trust their co-workers than their CEO to tell the truth about the organization. Only 19% trust the CEO.
Edelman Trust Barometer, Trust at Work 2024
What we capture
Authentic conversations from real talent, including employees, alumni and candidates.
What we ignore
Career sites, paid ads and company accounts, which talent find less authentic.
- 19
- Industries with a sector-average benchmark in every report; named competitors as an optional add-on
- 130+
- Platforms monitored, including review sites, forums and social media
- 30+
- Languages covered, wherever talent talks
- 2018
- Measured the same way since 2018, every market, every cycle
The EBI score
One score, comparable everywhere
Every mention, from every platform and every language, is coded to the 16 attributes and read for sentiment. Each attribute is then scored on three things: how positive the conversation is, how much of it there is, and how much of it is about you rather than your competitors. Those roll up into one Employer Brand Index score out of 10.
The same calculation, every time, so a score in Singapore means the same as a score in São Paulo, and this quarter means the same as 2018.
- Every attribute
- Every market
- Every audience
- Every competitor
- Every cycle
- Every language
Scores show what’s happening. Qualitative analysis shows why.
Behind every score sits the talent conversation itself: themes, experiences and root causes, extracted directly from what people said rather than inferred from a survey question.
Mission & Purpose
7.90
“I’m proud to work here.”
Team & People
8.60
“I work with amazing people.”
Learning & Development
8.20
“Excellent training courses.”
Management & Organization
5.80
“Management decisions often feel inconsistent.”
Illustrative sample
Who’s saying it
One score, many different experiences
Your overall score hides the places where the experience is different. Every score breaks down the same way, so you can see exactly which audience, in which market, is pulling it down or holding it up.
- LocationFrom continent down to city
- SeniorityEntry level to senior leaders
- Job functionEvery function you hire for
- SubsidiaryEach business in your group
- Talent groupEmployees, alumni, candidates
- CompetitorsThe same cuts for every rival
- London7.85
- New York7.60
- Paris7.20
- Singapore6.95
- Sales · Senior7.90
- Tech · Senior7.70
- Sales · Entry level7.15
- Tech · Entry level5.10
Entry-level technology talent scores 2.25 below your overall, in every location.
Illustrative sample · segments shown where there is enough data
Advocacy Analytics
What your Employee Advocacy program adds
Most large employers now run an Employee Advocacy program. Few can say what it does for the employer brand. Advocacy Analytics measures it on the same 16 attributes: which attributes your advocates talk about, which they avoid, how much engagement they generate, and how many EBI score points the program accounts for, by team and by market.
- +0.40EBI score points attributable to advocacy activity
- 2.4Attribute mentions per post on average, so every post builds your brand
- 1.2MEngagements generated across all advocacy content this cycle
Performing well
Attribute mentions per post
- Career Progression contentDigital advocates · Florida3.8
- Learning & Development contentEngineering · Germany3.1
- Innovation & Technology contentGraduates · UK2.9
Underperforming
Attribute mentions per post
- Business news, few attributesOperations · India0.9
- Few posts about working hereSales · France1.1
- Mostly reposts without commentSenior leaders · US1.2
Illustrative sample
Where to focus
Where to focus, attribute by attribute
Every attribute gets the same six-way read: how it is positioned, who is driving it, what the theme is, whether your advocates touch it, where competitors sit, and what AI tells candidates. Together they say where to act first.
Positioning
WeaknessNegative, and widely discussed
Talent group
Entry-level techThe most negative group
Theme
Inconsistent decisionsAnd unclear communication
Advocacy
Rarely mentionedYour advocates avoid it
Competitors
5th of 6Only one rival scores lower
What AI says
OversoldAI 6.90 · your people 5.80
Where to focus
Clearer decisions for entry-level tech teamsIllustrative sample
How clients use it
Show your leaders it’s working
- 01
Prove impact, year on year
The same framework since 2018, so every EVP refresh, campaign or return-to-office shows up as a before and after.
- 02
Report up in one number
A score your CHRO gets without a walkthrough, benchmarked against the competitors they already worry about.
- 03
Make the case for budget and headcount
Hard evidence of where you lead and where you lag. That turns a request into a business case.
- 04
Put your team in the spotlight
Present the results with us at industry events and on the Employer Branding Podcast.
Illustrative sample
See where you stand before you commit
The free Employer Brand Snapshot is a first read of your employer brand from the same data and method as the Index, scoped to what’s most useful for you. Enough to see how the benchmark reads your brand.
What is AI telling candidates about you?
Before a candidate reads a review, visits your careers site or speaks to a recruiter, they can ask an AI. AI-EBI shows you what it answers, and whether that answer is fair.
Where you appear
Does AI recommend you when candidates ask who to work for?
What AI says
The story AI tells about working for you, across the models candidates actually use.
Whether it’s fair
How that story compares with what your own people say.
- ChatGPT
- Gemini
- Claude
- Perplexity
- Google AI Mode
- Copilot
- 74%
- of US job seekers personally use AI in their job search
- Greenhouse, Nov 2025
- 42%
- of US adults use AI chatbots to search for information
- Pew Research Center, Feb 2026
Illustrative example · fictional client
What’s it like to be entry-level talent at Corvant Logistics?
Corvant Logistics is seen as a stable place to start a career. New hires often rotate across warehouse, transport and planning teams, and pay is described as competitive for the sector.
However, some early-career reviews mention long shifts during peak season and managers who are stretched thin.
Candidates may want to ask about schedules, team sizes and how quickly new starters are given responsibility.
The comparison changes the conversation
When leadership asks “Is what AI says about us true?”, the answer depends on one thing: what your own people say. The same AI story can call for very different responses.
- If your people are more positiveAI undersells you
Investigate the AI narrativeFind the sources AI leans on, and where change is most plausible.
- If your people say the sameAI is accurate
Start with the experienceGEO won’t fix it. AI is reflecting what your people already say.
- If your people are less positiveAI oversells you
Manage expectationsDon’t amplify a story your people won’t confirm. Fix the experience first.
- AI-EBI score: AI’s answers
- EBI score: your people
Our role is measurement and direction. The response, whether content, outreach or changes to the experience, sits with your team or a partner.
How it works
First insights within 8 weeks
- 01
Live dashboard walkthrough
A 30-minute walkthrough of the live dashboard, covering what the Index measures, how it works and what it could reveal about you.
- 02
Pilot scope
Agree the markets, audiences, competitors and questions, captured in a one-page scope.
- 03
Statement of work
Pricing and SOW delivered within seven working days of scope sign-off.
- 04
First insights
Your EBI report delivered, highlights presented and your dashboard live, within 8 weeks of scope sign-off.
What you get
Everything you need to turn insight into action
- 01A comprehensive data report with every attribute scored, trended and benchmarked
- 02A highlights presentation, tailored to your priorities
- 03Unlimited dashboard access from day one, updated every reporting cycle
- 04Qualitative analysis of the themes and root causes behind every score
- 05Sector-average benchmarking across overall brand, segments and attributes, with named competitors as an optional add-on
Competitors, measured the same way
Every report benchmarks you against your sector average. Add named competitors, measured on the same attributes, segments and scale, and choose the rivals you lose talent to, not just the ones in your sector.
Proof
Measurable impact, sustained over time
Explore case studies →- 50+employers worldwide
- 19industries
- 5+ yearswith many clients, through acquisitions and return-to-office
- Global Pharma3-year partnership#1
Global benchmark leader
From the 74th percentile to the top, now the benchmark other companies are measured against.
- Global Technology4-year partnership+210%
Perception improvement in a specific region
India lagged the US in a critical talent market, and over the partnership the gap narrowed until perception was in line across regions.
- Global FMCG5-year partnership+140%
Positive sentiment shift for a problem attribute
Persistent negative sentiment around Management & Organization turned into a competitive strength.
What clients say
“Link Humans’ Employer Brand Index provides us with great insights into how our brand is perceived externally…”
HR Director, Unilever
“The Employer Brand Index provided a measurable benchmark… the ROI of our employer brand.”
Recruitment Marketing Manager, H&R Block
Research
What the data says about employer brand
Read the research →Podcast
The Employer Branding Podcast
Listen to an episode →Start with a free Employer Brand Snapshot
No pitch, no commitment: a first read of your employer brand from the same data, the same method and the same scale as the full Index.