Organizational Behaviour Studies Quarterly

Organizational Behaviour Studies Quarterly

From Perception to Intention: The Role of Perceived Public Sector Employer Branding in Shaping Employer Attractiveness, Job Application Intention, and Employer Recommendation among Generation Z

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Elham Ebrahimi 1
Sadaf Fayazi 2
1 Associate Professor, Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, Tehran, Iran
2 M.Sc. Student in Public Administration, Faculty of Management and Economics, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/obs.2026.2087476.3671
Abstract
In recent years, many public organizations in Iran have faced increasing challenges in attracting Generation Z, a cohort that prioritizes meaning, learning opportunities, personal development, and flexibility over traditional job benefits. Despite the growing body of research on employer branding in the private sector, its role in shaping attitudes and job-related behaviors of Generation Z in the public sector remains underexplored. Accordingly, this study aims to examine the effect of public sector employer brand perception on perceived employer attractiveness and to investigate its influence on job application intention and employer recommendation intention among Generation Z job seekers in Iran. This applied research employed a descriptive–survey design. Data were collected using a standardized questionnaire adapted from well-established international studies and gathered from 408 undergraduate and postgraduate students at five public universities in Tehran during career fairs. The data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS. The results indicate that employer brand perception has a significant and positive effect on perceived employer attractiveness (β = 0.75) and employer recommendation intention (β = 0.54), while its direct effect on job application intention is not statistically significant (β = -0.02). In contrast, perceived employer attractiveness plays a significant mediating role in both relationships, demonstrating full mediation in the path to job application intention and partial mediation in the path to employer recommendation intention. These findings underscore perceived employer attractiveness as a key psychological mechanism through which employer branding influences behavioral intentions. The study concludes that employer branding in the public sector is effective only when it successfully enhances perceived organizational attractiveness among Generation Z. By proposing a mediation-based conceptual model, this research contributes to public management and employer branding literature by offering a novel theoretical lens for understanding young job seekers’ behavior. It also highlights that revitalizing the government’s employer image is essential for attracting young talent in Iran’s public sector.
Keywords
Employer brand perception
Generation Z
Employer attractiveness
Job application intention
Employer recommendation intenti.
Subjects
منابع
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https://doi.org/10.22034/obs.2024.715130
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https://doi.org/10.22098/cpa.2025.17291.1068
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https://doi.org/10.22034/jmep.2025.506843.1479
 
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