Young people looking for job security, work-life balance and meaningful careers
Governments are students' top picks for employers, according to the 2010 Canada's Top Campus Employers Report.
The Government of Canada is at the top of the list based on a survey of more than 27,000 Canadian university and college students by Brainstorm Strategy Group and Decode,
Municipal governments, Health Canada, the Public Service Commission and the Canadian Forces are also in the top 25. Non-profit organizations also made a strong showing with the Hospital for Sick Children, the Canadian Cancer Society, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the David Suzuki Foundation and Oxfam.
“It is interesting to see that 14 of the 25 top employers listed are either government, government-related or non-profit,” said Graham Donald, president of Brainstorm Strategy Group and co-author of the report.
“It demonstrates that despite the challenges of the economy in the past couple of years young people are not going to waver from their desire to do meaningful, interesting and useful work. This is a positive sign about the strength of character that generation Y brings to the workplace.”
In the corporate sector, household names like Google, Apple, Microsoft and Facebook all made the list, as well as Research in Motion, Deloitte, Air Canada and Bombardier.
The report also found students are more positive about the economy and their job prospects this year, with 56 per cent students concerned about these issues down from 62 per cent last year. Also, more students are looking for job security and the opportunity to spend their whole career with one company (57 per cent, up from 53 per cent last year).
On a practical level, students' desire for job security is about paying off debt and planning for their futures, said Eric Meerkamper, president of DECODE. On another level it is about a desire for loyalty and building a strong community for life, he said.
All university and college students
1 Government of Canada
2 Provincial Government
3 Apple
4 Health Canada
5 Google
6 The Hospital for Sick Children
7 Municipal Government
8 Air Canada
9 Canadian Cancer Society
10 Big Brothers Big Sisters
11 Microsoft
12 David Suzuki Foundation
13 Bombardier
14 Canadian Institute for Health Information
15 University Health Network
16 Public Service Commission
17 Facebook
18 Oxfam
19 Research In Motion (RIM) / Blackberry
20 CBC
21 Canadian Forces
22 Bank of Canada
23 Deloitte
23 L'Oréal
25 Electronic Arts
Top 5 employers chosen by undergraduate business students
1 Apple
2 Google
3 Government of Canada
4 Deloitte
5 Ernst & Young
Top 5 employers chosen by MBA students
1 Apple
2 Google
3 Government of Canada
4 Deloitte
5 McKinsey & Company
The complete lists of top employers as selected by students in six areas of study, by province and by gender, is available online.
