High future earnings, employment security top considerations for students, finds survey
Depending on their fields of study, students are hoping to land jobs with big employers such as Google, Apple, Health Canada and the United Nations.
This comes as Canadian university students who are looking for a job say their top priority is high future earnings, according to a recent report from Universum.
Overall, Canadian students are expecting a monthly salary of $5,918 and an annual salary of $71,015.
However, men are looking for payouts that are 12% higher than what women are asking for, according to the survey of 16,661 students in 161 universities and across 186 areas of study, conducted from September 2023 to March 2024.
While men are hoping for a monthly income of $6,395, women are asking $5,647. Annually, the comparable figures are $76,614 for men and $67,763 for women.
“This indicates a shift in priorities among students towards more immediate rewards and career progression, which can influence their choices in potential employers,” said Jeff Rugg, senior employer brand advisor with Universum, according to a Yahoo Finance report.
Financial compensation emerged as the top priority for professionals in different fields, according to another recent study.
What is the top criteria for choosing a new employer?
While money is still king for Canadian students looking for a job, they are also looking for the following from their prospective employers, according to Universum’s study:
- High future earnings
- Secure employment
- Flexible working conditions
- Encouraging work-life balance
- Professional training and development
- Clear path for advancement
Global digital jobs are expected to surge to around 92 million by 2030, according to the World Economic Forum.
With all these, considerations, here are the employers that Canadians students would want to work for across different fields:
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For business students |
For engineering/IT students |
For natural sciences students |
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2. Apple |
2. E nvironment and Climate Change Canada |
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3. Microsoft |
3. Pfizer |
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4. Tesla |
4. Natural Resources Canada |
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5. Amazon |
5. The Hospital for Sick Children |
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6. Canadian Space Agency |
6. Parks Canada |
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7. Boeing |
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8. Intel |
8. Canadian Natural Resources Limited |
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9. Meta |
9. University Health Network |
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10. Lockheed Martin Canada |
10. Canadian Space Agency |
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For liberal arts/ fine arts/ education/ social sciences students |
For law students |
For health/medicine students |
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2. Canadian Department of Justice |
2. The Hospital for Sick Children |
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3. Lavery Lawyers |
3. Canadian Cancer Society |
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4. J.P. Morgan |
4. Doctors Without Borders |
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5. Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) |
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7. McGill University Health Centre |
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8. Pfizer |
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9. Field Law |
9. Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHE O) |
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10. Gowling WLG |
10. Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre |
