Research by Universum reveals that young Filipino talent favour employers who offer professional training & development and respect their people

    Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and Google are seen as the most ideal employers among business and STEM talent, respectively

    Today, Universum launches the findings from the Philippines portion of the world’s largest annual talent survey, with over 8,000 students from leading national universities in the Philippines who responded between December 2020 and June 2021. Set out to track career aspirations and preferences of the future talent pool, the Top 100 Ideal Employers student survey also recognises the most coveted employers based solely on the responses collected.

    Photo for illustrative purposes only. Training session in the workplace. 10 May 2019. Photo by Leon/Unsplash.

     

    (PRNewsfoto/Universum Communications Pte. Ltd)

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    This year, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has overtaken Philippine Airlines as the most attractive employer for business/commerce students, whereas Google retained its top position as the most desired employer among engineering talent.

    Business students have a strong desire to work for domestic employers

    The 2021 study reveals that 58% of young business/commerce talent would prefer to work for an employer founded in the Philippines. This is something that is also reflected in resulting employer rankings for business/commerce talent, with nine out of the top choices being homegrown. The banking industry remains the most preferred industry amongst business students (49% seeing it as a top choice), followed by auditing & accounting (37%) and e-commerce (33%).

    Respect for its people surpass high future earnings

    When asked about what they look for in an ideal employer, Filipino students report prioritising employers who offer strong professional training and development and show respect for their people. Both of these key attributes are highly associated with top performing employers Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and San Miguel Corporation.

    When looking at the different markets around the world covered by Universum’s talent preference survey, it is clear that today’s students are highly drawn towards employers who demonstrate they have a social conscience, respect their people and perform well in some of the softer aspects, such as culture and working environment.

    Mike Parsons, managing director APAC for Universum, said “Around the world in 2021, we have seen respect for its people trending. In the Philippines, this attribute was already important to talent but is now their second-highest priority when selecting a future employer, only behind “professional training and development”. Employers who are serious about attracting the very best young talent in the Philippines need to listen to the strong message talent are sending. They also need to ensure that they not only deliver upon this but that they can articulate, both internally and externally, the respectful nature of their culture.”

    Overall students’ top preferences

    2021

    2020

    1. Professional training & development

    2. Respect for its people

    3. A friendly work environment

    1. Professional training & development

    2. High future earnings

    3. A friendly work environment

    Salary expectations have increased

    The study revealed that the young talent graduating in the Philippines expects, on average, an annual salary of 440,843 PHP, which represents an increase of 12% from a year before. In most regional and global markets, pay expectations have been stagnant or only increased modestly due to the tough economic conditions of the past year. Clearly, talent in the Philippines has far more optimism.

    Sadly, female students expected 5% less salary than their male counterparts. However, among the students surveyed in Hong KongIndiaSingaporeThailand and Taiwanthe Philippines has the smallest gap between what the different genders expect to be paid.

    Universum 2021

    Students’ discipline

    Ideal Employer Ranking 2021

    Business/Commerce

    1. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas

    2. Philippine Airlines

    3. San Miguel Corporation

    4. BDO Unibank

    4. Google

    Engineering

    1. Google

    2. San Miguel Corporation

    3. Microsoft

    4. Philippine Airlines

    5. Ayala Land

    SOURCE Universum Communications Pte. Ltd (press release)