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These are the top companies Canadian students want to work for

These are the top companies Canadian students want to work for

Canadian university students on the hunt for a job say their top priority is job security, a shift spurred by the uncertainty from the COVID-19 pandemic.

That's according to a survey of 25,238 university students across the country conducted by Universum, a data company specializing in employer branding. Universum surveyed the students from 156 Canadian universities between October 2020 and March 2021.

The company found that secure employment was the top preference among Canadian university students when it came to future employment, replacing high future earnings as the No. 1 priority. High wages was the next priority, followed by ethical standards, a friendly work environment and inspiring purpose.

"We have seen that in Canada very specifically that students are prioritizing job stability and security," Jason Kipps, the managing director of Universum Canada, said in an interview.

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"We saw that become more important overall this year. When we see a lack of stability in the economy, you typically see talent double-down on security."

Canada's unemployment rate reached as high as 13.7 per cent in May 2020 during the pandemic. More than a year later, the situation has changed and many companies are grappling with a labour shortage and struggling to find workers to fill open jobs.

Kipps says the labour market is now "a candidate's market more than it's ever been."

"We're seeing more challenges with filling the pipeline, it's become so competitive," he said.

"Employers need to be focused... Big employers are starting to wake up to the fact that they have to be much more proactive to get the talent."

With the competition for talent on the rise, here are the most attractive employers according to university students, broken down by field of study.

Business students:

  1. Google

  2. Apple

  3. Tesla

  4. RBC / Royal Bank of Canada

  5. Deloitte

  6. TD Bank Financial Group / TD Canada Trust

  7. Amazon

  8. Microsoft

  9. Air Canada

  10. Canada Revenue Agency

Engineering/IT students:

  1. Tesla

  2. Google

  3. Microsoft

  4. Apple

  5. Amazon

  6. Canadian Space Agency

  7. Facebook

  8. Boeing

  9. IBM

  10. Bombardier

Natural Sciences students:

  1. Health Canada

  2. Natural Resources Canada

  3. Parks Canada

  4. Hospital for Sick Children

  5. Pfizer

  6. Canadian Cancer Society

  7. United Nations

  8. Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.

  9. Doctors Without Borders

  10. University Health Network

Liberal Arts/Fine Arts/Education/Social Sciences students:

  1. United Nations

  2. Canadian Department of Justice

  3. Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)

  4. Employment and Social Development Canada

  5. Health Canada

  6. Global Affairs Canada

  7. Google

  8. Hospital for Sick Children

  9. Apple

  10. CBC / Radio-Canada

With files from The Canadian Press

Alicja Siekierska is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow her on Twitter @alicjawithaj.

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