Logistics giant DHL has brought its esports recruiting program to China with long-time partner ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), debuting the push at Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Beijing 2026 after it drew more than 50,000 job applications worldwide.
According to a release, the program pairs esports content with event activations to send fans to DHL's career platforms. Open roles cover operations, IT, engineering and student programs.
Employer branding is marketing aimed at job seekers: it sells a company as a place to work. DHL's version leans on gaming culture. One example is Dispatch, which the release describes as DHL's Counter-Strike-themed comedy series.
Why China? The release points to nearly 220 million esports users in the country, a figure it credits to Statista. It also says more than 75% of EFG's Chinese fans are aged 18 to 29, based on EFG and ESL post-event surveys from 2025.
“To keep pace with the future of logistics, we need to reach future talent in innovative and candidate-focused ways,” said Jochen Lampe-Merian, Vice President Employer Branding & Talent Acquisition at DHL Group. He added that the results of the past four years show “the power of meeting people where their passions lie,” calling the move into Asia “a natural next step.”
Four years of esports hiring
DHL started the program in 2022. Since then it has run 21 hiring hubs in nine countries, built around Counter-Strike, Dota 2 and Overwatch. The release credits it with more than one million visits to DHL's employer branding pages and over 400,000 job views.
Recruiting is only part of the pitch. “What makes this audience particularly valuable is that it represents both future talent and future customers,” said Arjan Sissing, Senior Vice President Global Brand Marketing at DHL Group. Sissing called China one of DHL's “most important markets.”
The release backs that up with two surveys. In an EFG study of 8,000 Gen Z esports fans across eight markets, 74% said esports sponsorships or branding had influenced what they bought. DHL's own 2025 E-Commerce Trends Report found that seven in ten surveyed online shoppers had bought something through social media.
DHL has been EFG's Official Logistics Partner since 2018. Away from the fan-facing campaigns, it ships the gear behind EFG events, from broadcast and network equipment to servers and lighting rigs.
The following was sent as a press release to Inven Global.
