Banking, manufacturing and pharmaceuticals firms are on the rise as prospective employers among third-level students, but tech multinationals have lost some ground, according to the latest Most Attractive Employers Index Ireland from IrishJobs.ie's Universum.
Highly publicised job losses and general uncertainty across the tech sector have had a knock-on effect on student preferences, although the likes of Google, Apple and Intel were generally in the top-ranked companies among imminent graduates.
Among Business & Economics students, Google and Apple placed first and second ahead of KPMG and PwC, with Microsoft completing the top five, falling one place from the previous survey.
JP Morgan was sixth, while Deloitte fell two places to seventh, and EY climbed two to eight. Goldman Sachs and new entrant TikTok filled the last two places in the top 10.
Outside the top 10, Bank of Ireland (12th), the Central Bank (up six to 13th), and Bank of America (+7 to 18th) all gained places while Amazon (-4 to 11th) and Facebook (-11 to 19th) both declined following mass layoffs.
Among Engineering students, Intel retained top spot, but Pfizer leapfrogged Google and Apple into second, while Microsoft fell from third to seventh behind Boston Scientific and Jacobs Engineering. Johnson & Johnson and Aer Lingus were static at eighth and ninth and ESB rose one to 10th.
There was some movement in top six most attractive employers among IT students, with Google unchanged at number one, while Apple overtook Microsoft for second and fourth-placed Intel placed ahead of Amazon and Facebook. Dell Technologies rose two places to seventh, and TikTok entered the list at nine, with Activision Blizzard in 10th.
Moreover, when it comes to the size of organisations where IT students want to work, large companies are down by 12% on last year, while small to medium-sized organisations increased by the same percentage.
Pfizer, J&J and Boston Scientific were the top three preferred employers of Natural Sciences students ahead of Glanbia, which swapped placed with the HSE, while Google, MSD, Regeneron, Kerry Group and Intel also made the list.
The Department of Education is favoured by Humanities students ahead of Google, RT, the HSE, and TikTok, which placed for the first time in 5th, with Apple, the Civil Service, Microsoft, An GardaSochna and Virgin Media all falling one place as a result.
The HSE and Pfizer were unmoved as the top two among Health & Medicine students as Vhi Healthcare overtook J&J for third and Laya Healthcare rose from eighth to fifth, consigning Boston Scientific and Boots to sixth and seventh. MedTech firm Medtronic surged from 16th to eighth, ahead of Abbott and the Department of Education.
Finally, among Law students, A&L Goodbody retained the top spot, and the Department of Justice fell from second to fourth behind Arthur Cox and Matheson. William Fry took fifth ahead of Google, and McCann Fitzgerald was unchanged in seventh ahead of risers Apple, Hayes Solicitors, and JP Morgan.
"Last year, with their reputation for innovation and also jobsecurity, global technology multinationals dominated the rankings," said Steve Ward, UK and Ireland business director at Universum.
"In 2023, however, it looks like headlines around job losses at major tech companies, many of whom have their European headquarters here in Ireland, have begun to impact on student preferences. For example, were seeing Business & Economics students return in greater numbers to their traditional homes in auditing and accounting. Banking institutions have also enjoyed a resurgence in popularity among this cohort.
Tech multinationals have also lost some ground among Engineering students this year, while manufacturing, construction and pharmaceutical companies have all moved up the ranks. Meanwhile, although Google, Apple and Microsoft continue to be the top three employers for IT students, we are seeing some interesting movement towards SMEs, which suggests that smaller, local companies are playing a role in helping to pick up surplus digital talent.
In terms of the companies making the greatest gains, Tesco increases its standing among IT and Natural Sciences students by 20 and 30 places, respectively, and Adobe shot up 27 places among Engineering students and by 11 places among Business & Economics students.
Penneysalso made large gains, rising 48 places among IT students and 14 places among Engineering students. In addition to TikTok, new entrants includeBus ireannandWorkday, withBus ireannis faring better among Engineering and IT students andWorkdayproving popular among IT and Business students.
(Pic: Getty Images)
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Students warier of tech giants as prospective employers following ... - Business Plus
