Students prefer HSBC to Gov. as employer

Based on over 9,500 employer evaluations, reflecting the opinions of over 2,600 university students, HSBC has risen to the top of the deck in Hong Kong to take first place as the most favoured employer in Hong Kong. This according to the Universum APAC annual employer image survey.

HSBC has knocked the Government off the top stop to become Hong Kong’ ideal employer for business students. Although the Government of the HKSAR now ranks in second place from business students’ perspective, they still maintained their top spot in the eyes of engineering students.

Based on the frequency of organisations being selected as ‘an ideal employer’ by students, Universum produces an ideal employer ranking: the Universum Top 100. The rankings reflect the level of employer attractiveness that organisations have in Hong Kong’s recruitment market.

Johan Ramel, CEO, Universum APAC said, “A strong financial comeback plus a possibility of changing corporate headquarters to Hong Kong might be the reasons for HSBC’s new position.”

Regarding student career preferences, job security has become an increasingly important consideration, now cited by 44% of students— 7% higher than recorded in 2010. Work-life balance was cited by 58% of students as an important factor for choosing an employer.

Regarding employer reputation and image, Hong Kong’s students were asked to select the three most attractive qualities of an ideal employer. The top three were: professional training and development, 56%; good work-life balance, 55%; and good reputation, 48%.

Ramel highlighted that the majority of students would like to work for large organisations, with only 21% choosing micro- or small- employers with less than 100 employees. He added, “Competition for a job at one of the top three employers is tough. More than half of the business and engineering/natural science students in Hong Kong want to work for one of the top three ranked employers.”

The top 10 ideal employers as voted by business students:

1. HSBC
2. HKSAR Government
3. J.P. Morgan
4. Morgan Stanley
5. Swire Group
6. KPMG
7. Cathay Pacific Airways
8. Bank of China (Hong Kong) Ltd.
9. Goldman Sachs
10. MTR Corporation

The top 10 ideal employers as voted by engineering students:

1. HKSAR Government
2. MTR Corporation
3. Airport Authority Hong Kong
4. Cathay Pacific Airways
5. HSBC
6. Google
7. Swire Group
8. Hongkong Electric
9. Microsoft
10. CLP Group