Desired Employers
Global bank Popular among S’poreans: Poll
By Yasmine Yahya
INTERNATIONAL banks are a popular choice among Singaporean graduates seeking a job, a new survey has found.
A poll by GTI Media, a graduate career and research firm, found that four of the 10 most sought-after employers among graduates were global banks.
They were: Barclays Capital, which also claimed the top overall spot, Citibank, JPMorgan and Credit Suisse.
The other companies in the top 10 were: Singapore technologies Engineering, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst and Young, Philips Electronics, Singapore Press Holdings and MediaCorp.
The survey – Singapore’s 100 Leading Graduate Employers – also ranked employers by sector.
It found that Procter & Gamble was the most sought-after employer in the consumer business sector, ExxonMobil was the most popular among energy and petrochemical firms, and the Ministry of Education was top among public service employers.
The survey had obtained responses from Singaporean students and graduates at home and abroad over a period of five months.
GTI publishing director Michele Lam said Singaporean students most prize professional development and training and promotion opportunities. However, they take other factors into account too.
“Good work-life balance is prioritised over a highly demanding position. Respondents also felt that the ability to develop specialised skills is important in their first job,” she said.
In additional, the survey found that an overwhelming majority of students and graduates are prepared to relocate for their first job, with Asia and Europe being popular destinations, Ms Lam added.
GTI’s international managing director, Mr Adrian Wood, noted that the survey data allows organisations to understand the current perceptions of students towards their company, their sector and the graduate employment market as a whole.
“They are able to benchmark their brand against name competitors,” he said.
The findings of the survey will be published in the Singapore’s 100 Leading Graduate Employers directory in the first quarter of the next year, and a new round of polling will be carried out early that year.
