Graduates are still keen to work in the public sector, despite government cuts. That’s one of the main findings of The Guardian UK 300, the newly launched publication charting the 300 most popular employers, as voted for by 17,000 UK students.
Public service and not-for-profit recruiters are high in the chart, despite students knowing about impending cuts. The NHS, Teach First, Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), Civil Service, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Amnesty International all claim spots in the top 20.
The Guardian publication is based upon an annual graduate recruitment survey, conducted by leading student research institute trendence. The survey also reveals an upsurge in the popularity of technical firms. Dyson, for example, moved up the rankings from place 242 to sit firmly in the top 30. IBM, Shell and Google’s appeal have increased too. Some professional service organisations in traditional graduate-friendly sectors such as investment banking and management consulting are a little less popular this year, although PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young and Deloitte are still in the top five.
Steve James, editor of The Guardian UK 300 and guardianuk300.com, says of the report, “It may be surprising that public sector employers are still popular, given the news about Government spending cuts but the survey shows that the Civil Service Fast Stream and the Foreign Office are huge, enduring employer brands, attractive to graduate job seekers.”
The Guardian UK 300 highlights that graduate careers are split on gender lines, making public service jobs more attractive to female graduates. The survey also reveals that 70 per cent of students are willing to make personal sacrifices to start their careers, including 67 per cent showing a willingness to relocate, if they found the right job. It also shows that the majority of students see working for student societies as a good alternative to unpaid work experience; that training, job security and good colleagues are the most important criteria for graduate jobs. The survey also indicates that the recession has put working for a socially responsible employer lower down on the criteria for this year’s graduates than in previous years.
The Guardian UK 300 is published in association with graduate recruitment specialists GTI Media and is based upon an annual survey undertaken by top employer research firm, trendence. The publication is available free to students through their university careers service or is available to view online at: http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/8cf99afd.
