Perceived DEI practices and young job seekers’ intention to apply: the roles of organizational reputation and career growth expectation

In Vietnam’s increasingly competitive labor market, organizations are placing greater emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices as part of their employer branding strategies to attract young talent. Drawing on signaling theory and employer branding theory, this study examines how perceived DEI practices influence young job seekers’ intention to apply, while considering the mediating role of perceived organizational reputation and the moderating role of career growth expectation. Data were collected from 344 young job seekers in Hanoi, Vietnam, and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that perceived DEI practices do not directly influence intention to apply but significantly enhance perceived organizational reputation, which in turn positively affects application intentions, indicating a full mediation effect. In addition, contrary to the hypothesized positive direction, career growth expectation negatively moderates the relationship between perceived DEI practices and intention to apply. These findings highlight the importance of organizational reputation as a key mechanism linking DEI signals and applicant attraction and suggest that HR and recruitment managers should combine DEI-related signals with clear career development opportunities when attracting young applicants. Given the cross-sectional, convenience-sampled design, the findings should be interpreted with caution regarding causality and generalizability.