What Millennials Want From Work
In the ranking of the world’s most attractive employers for young students and professionals, big names such as Google and Apple top the list. Universum’s Employer Branding NOW Survey highlights that brand name recognition is far from the number one attractor for graduates and young professionals.
In fact, company culture and the opportunity for growth are the most important selling points. Furthermore, the survey found that a creative and dynamic work environment is highly desired by millennials throughout the world – proving these are key for both attraction and retention.
For the vast majority of millennials surveyed, Google is ranked as the most appealing employer, while automotive companies, which have lost popularity in recent years, are now becoming more attractive, particularly among engineering students.
Students also reported interest in the Big Four accounting firms, namely Ernst & Young, Deloitte and PwC. When asked to rate the importance of employer reputation, students remarked that culture, compensation and opportunity for advancement are their top priorities. Furthermore, students in Asia and Russia put more emphasis on the importance of compensation and advancement, compared to other locations.
Overall, the study observed that millennials tend to prioritise salary and opportunity for advancement in inverse proportion to the per capita GDP of their respective countries. This generally implies that students from countries with higher per capita GDP put less emphasis on salary and promotions.
These findings highlight the importance of strong employer branding for organisations large and small. Millennials are the next generation of workers and in order to attract the best and brightest, organisations must have a comprehensive employer branding strategy, rooted in their own unique culture and values.
