The 10 companies Hong Kong's graduates want to work for

Polling over 5,500 students from six universities in Hong Kong on their career aspirations, Universum finds local job seekers are most concerned about work/life balance and a friendly working environment.

When asked about their most important career goal upon graduation, almost two thirds of business and engineering students (64%) selected work/life balance as one of their top three career goals.

There is no surprise, as work-life balance seems to be a major concern across all generations of the local workforce; an earlier study finds one in six locals are worried about work-life balance.

Second on the list of career goals to Hong Kong talent is "to be secure or stable in my job", selected by 43% of respondents, which explains why the government's "iron rice bowl" is so popular.

HKSAR Government topped the list as the most ideal employer for engineering talent and second most popular among business talent, in this Universum study.

Google, known for its great benefits, is business graduates' top choice.

Top 10 employers for business graduates:

1. Google
2. HKSAR Government
3. EY (Ernst & Young)
4. J.P. Morgan
5. Cathay Pacific Airways
6. Swire Group
7. HSBC
8. Apple
9. PwC
10. Hong Kong Disneyland

1. HKSAR Government
2. Google
3. MTR Corporation
4. Cathay Pacific Airlines
5. Apple
6. Airport Authority Hong Kong
7. Hospital Authority
8. Ocean Group
9. Swire
10. AECOM

Rachele Focardi, senior vice president at Universum, commented on the findings: "It is now more critical than ever for organisations in Hong Kong to fully understand the preferences and expectations of their target group, and their perception as an employer.

"This the first step towards the development of a strong localised employer value proposition that is attractive, true, credible, distinct and sustainable."

Among other key findings, salary expectations of Hong Kong post graduates have declined, pegged at HK$214,934 per annum. The average expected by male students is slightly more (HK$11,000) than their female counterparts.

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