The companies that South African students most want to work for right now
Branding firm, Universum, has released its Most Attractive Employer rankings for 2017 – listing the companies that South African students are most keen to work for.
The rankings are based on a survey of 46,981 students – the largest survey to date – which covered a wide range of questions relating to future employment and career goals, as well as other attributes that make an employer attractive, like work-life balance.
According to Universum, government departments and parastatals which have traditionally been very attractive for students, have waned in appeal.
While they remain some of the most attractive employers in South Africa, their attractiveness is starting to decline.
“In our most recent research we are seeing a decline in the attractiveness of many parastatals and government departments which mirrors the negative media attention many of them have received over the last year,” said country manager for Universum South Africa, Jenali Skuse.
“Those institutions that can authentically offer a compelling value proposition to students and young talent should develop an employer value proposition that truly reflects their organisations strong points and ensure it is communicated to young talent in a way that resonates with them and through the channels they are using.
“Should they fail to do so, their future talent pipelines cannot be guaranteed with huge implications for their businesses overall.”
However, there are still a number of state organisations such as CSIR, DAFF and DST which have done this effectively and remain very attractive employers to young talent in South Africa, Skuse said.
These are the 20 most attractive employers for South African students, across four major fields.
Business/Commerce
| # | Employer | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | KPMG | 16.57% |
| 2 | Deloitte | 13.24% |
| 3 | PwC | 12.79% |
| 4 | Investec | 12.27% |
| 5 | 10.90% | |
| 6 | South African Reserve Bank |
10.18% |
| 7 | EY (Ernst & Young) | 9.78% |
| 8 | Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) |
9.46% |
| 9 | SARS | 9.40% |
| 10 | Unilever | 8.57% |
| 11 | Transnet | 8.18% |
| 12 | Coca-Cola South Africa | 8.18% |
| 13 | Standard Bank | 7.20% |
| 14 | BMW Group | 7.16% |
| 15 | AB InBev (formerly SAB) | 6.85% |
| 16 | Allan Gray | 6.84% |
| 17 | First National Bank | 6.67% |
| 18 | South African Airways (SAA) |
6.26% |
| 19 | Auditor-General (AGSA) | 6.19% |
| 20 | Eskom | 5.73% |
Engineering/Technology
| # | Employer | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17.51% | |
| 2 | Sasol | 14.90% |
| 3 | Eskom | 14.87% |
| 4 | Microsoft | 14.73% |
| 5 | Transnet | 14.65% |
| 6 | BMW Group | 10.94% |
| 7 | CSIR | 10.06% |
| 8 | Murray & Roberts | 9.39% |
| 9 | Group Five | 8.14% |
| 10 | Volkswagen Group | 7.87% |
| 11 | Samsung | 7.77% |
| 12 | AngloAmerican | 6.96% |
| 13 | Unilever | 6.58% |
| 14 | WBHO | 6.43% |
| 15 | Telkom | 6.32% |
| 16 | South African Airways (SAA |
5.89% |
| 17 | AngloAmerican Platinum |
5.89% |
| 18 | Aurecon | 5.55% |
| 19 | IBM South Africa | 5.54% |
| 20 | AB InBev (formerly SAB) | 5.33% |
Natural Science
| # | Employer | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CSIR | 23.35% |
| 2 | Dept. Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries | 17.69% |
| 3 | Dept. Science and Technology | 12.98% |
| 4 | National Health Laboratory Service | 11.11% |
| 5 | Sasol | 10.90% |
| 6 | 10.35% | |
| 7 | AB InBev (formerly SAB) | 9.85% |
| 8 | Dept. of Health | 9.57% |
| 9 | Unilever | 9.14% |
| 10 | Rand Water | 7.90% |
| 11 | Eskom | 6.98% |
| 12 | Medi-Clinic Southern Africa |
6.34% |
| 13 | Pfizer Laboratories | 6.15% |
| 14 | Microsoft | 6.07% |
| 15 | Dept. of Rural Development and Land Reform | 5.97% |
| 16 | Aspen Pharmacare | 5.71% |
| 17 | City of Cape Town | 5.62% |
| 18 | AngloAmerican | 5.41% |
| 19 | Nestlé South Africa | 5.26% |
| 20 | Coca-Cola South Africa | 5.13% |
Liberal Arts/Humanities
| # | Employer | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dept. of Higher Education and Training | 26.29% |
| 2 | 16.27% | |
| 3 | SABC | 13.22% |
| 4 | Media24 | 12.61% |
| 5 | Dept. of International Relations and Cooperation | 10.62% |
| 6 | South African Airways (SAA) |
8.94% |
| 7 | City of Cape Town |
8.20% |
| 8 | Dept. of Home Affairs |
7.57% |
| 9 | Discovery | 6.13% |
| 10 | City of Johannesburg |
6.13% |
| 11 | Microsoft | 5.69% |
| 12 | Transnet | 5.45% |
| 13 | Sun International |
5.40% |
| 14 | Unilever | 5.36% |
| 15 | Coca-Cola South Africa |
5.29% |
| 16 | Woolworths | 5.26% |
| 17 | Adidas | 4.63% |
| 18 | Statistics South Africa |
4.34% |
| 19 | L’Oréal Group |
4.04% |
| 20 | MultiChoice | 3.89% |
Read: The pros and cons of investing in student accommodation in South Africa
Loading ...