Top 10 employers Hong Kong graduates want to work for

Hong Kong’s most desirable employers have been revealed. 5,435 future employees from six Hong Kong universities and 108 different areas of studies shared their views on career and employers in Universum’s latest talent survey.

Working for an international company that will be able to kick-start their career is at the top of the wish list for a lot of students, something that’s reflected in the top 10 ideal employers as selected by Hong Kong’s business and engineering students:

Top 10 employers for business graduates:1. Google2. EY3. HKSAR Government4. J.P. Morgan5. HSBC6. Cathay Pacific Airways7. Apple8. PwC9. Deloitte10. Hong Kong Monetary Authority

Top 10 employers for engineering graduates:1. HKSAR Government2. Google3. MTR Corporation4. Cathay Pacific Airlines5. Apple6. Airport Authority Hong Kong7. Ocean Park8. Microsoft9. Hospital Authority10. United Nations

According to the survey, students in Hong Kong have been extremely consistent with their notion of what makes a good career. Over the past nine years they’ve maintained their desire to have a good work-life balance above any other career goal. In fact, it’s been steadily rising year on year ever since 2013, from 53% of respondents selecting it as a top career goal, to 68% today – one of highest rates globally.

After work-life balance the most desired career goal among the survey respondents is to be secure or stable in their career – selected by 45% of students as a top three career goal. Third, with 36% selecting it, is being dedicated to a cause or to feel that they’re serving the greater good – a trend that’s being observed across many global markets.

When it comes to pay, this year's graduates have a more positive outlook. Overall, their salary expectations have increased 7% compared to last year's survey. In 2017 the average salary expected by a male student upon graduation in Hong Kong is HKD 242,729 per year. Female students' expectations have risen to HKD228,762 per year.

While there is still a significant gap in pay expectations between the two genders, female expectations are rising faster than the ones of their male counterparts, so the gap is shrinking.

Commenting on the survey results, Ryan Pua, employer branding advisor at Universum, said: "In Hong Kong we see both an increase in salary expectations and one of the strongest desires globally for work-life balance. Often these two desires can be at odds with one another, and expecting both is highly unrealistic for graduates and those new to the workforce.

"This makes things trickier for employers in Hong Kong and means that creative, dynamic and collaborative working cultures that provide their own brand of work-life balance, become even more important for attracting the top tier of talent."

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