Europe’s graduates dream of Google and less work
If Europe’s young talents were free to choose their first employer, they would most likely
work for Google. This is a result of Europe’s largest graduate survey with almost 320.000
participants, conducted by trendence Institute. Results show Europe’s big economic gap, but
also common preferences of a graduate generation in constant crisis, as students across
borders feel less attracted to jobs with long working days and high levels of responsibility.
Further results will be published by French news magazine L’Express (June 12) and German
daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (June 15 and 16).
The Top 10 of Europe’s 500 most popular
employers voted by business graduates:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Google
Apple
Ernst & Young
PwC
VW Group
Coca-Cola
KPMG
L'Oréal
BMW
Deloitte
Source: trendence
8,21%
6,30%
5,91%
5,09%
4,47%
4,41%
4,31%
4,25%
4,11%
4,07%
Rank
2012
1
2
4
6
8
3
7
5
11
9
%
Δ
2012 Rank
7,53% 
7,37% 
5,11% 
4,83% 
3,94% 
5,21% 
4,08% 
4,98% 
3,73% 
3,85% 
Top 10 favourite employers of Europe’s Engineering
and IT talent:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Google
VW Group
Microsoft
Apple
BMW
EADS
Siemens
IBM
Bosch
Porsche
12,18%
6,83%
6,57%
6,08%
5,66%
4,36%
4,33%
3,82%
3,10%
2,97%
Rank
2012
1
4
3
2
5
8
7
6
12
11
%
Δ
2012 Rank
12,88% 

5,90%
7,37%

7,65%


5,72%

4,24%
4,27%

4,33%


2,66%
2,83%

Source: trendence
Google and German companies win the war for talents
In almost every European country, Google is among the Top 3 employers of students. In their
eyes, Google stands for both, hard factors like strength and market success, as well as socalled soft factors like a good leadership style and an appreciative atmosphere. Many German
companies also hit the Top 10. Within four years, Volkswagen climbed from number 11 to
number 2 on the wish list of Engineering and IT talents. Bosch and Porsche also gained
popularity (rank 21 to 9, rank 16 to 10 respectively).
Most popular emigration countries
Germany, however, comes second on the list of most popular emigration countries. 35-40
percent of those who are willing to relocate say that they would move to Germany. 10 to 15
percent also say that they can speak German. With 50 percent, the UK stays the most popular
emigration country, and 63 percent of students say they have highly advanced English skills.
Less work, less responsibility
Everywhere in Europe, students feel they want to spend less time at work compared to 2012.
Jobs with a high level of personal responsibility also become less appealing to them over the
last years. When choosing their first job, Europe’s graduates say they care most about their
personal development, followed by attractive work tasks and good career prospects. A high
starting salary is less and less important to them.
About trendence
trendence is Europe’s leading research institute specialising in employer branding, personnel marketing and
recruiting. Every year, more than 530,000 school-leavers, students and young professionals from all over the world
take part in our studies on their career ambitions and employers of choice. These study results are an invaluable
support to HR departments: by providing authoritative, representative information on potential employees, they
inform crucial decisions on recruitment and marketing strategies.
Furthermore, our results assist schools and higher education institutions in appraising their performance and
developing a coherently strategic approach. The ‘Top 100’ rankings of the most desirable employers, compiled from
our studies, are a particular focus of interest, acting as guides and benchmarks for the media, employers and the
employees of the future alike.
Press material
Further results are available upon request:
» Top 500 employer ranking
» Salary expectations
» Working hours
» Criteria of employer choice
» popular/unpopular sectors
» Student’s opinions on career related topics (willingness to move, brain drain/brain gain, female quota, work-family
balance, etc.)
» upon request: analyses of defined graduate sub-groups, such as females/males, fields of study, countries/regions,
most qualified students, etc.
Contact
Felizitas Janzen – Head of PR
+49 30 2592988-207
presse@trendence.com
www.trendence.com