A survey of Vietnamese business and engineering students released Wednesday by a Swedish employer branding firm reveals their career goals and “most ideal employers."

Consumer goods company Unilever has been selected by students studying business at leading universities in Vietnam as their most ideal employer, according to Universum’s Vietnam Top 100 IDEAL Employers survey.

While Unilever won over business and commerce students for the second straight year, electronics titan Samsung has replaced oil and gas giant PetroVietnam as the most ideal employer for those on the engineering track.

Universum polled more than 21,000 participating students from leading universities in Vietnam as part of the world’s largest annual talent survey, the Stockholm-based company said in a press release the same day.

The survey seeks to track career aspirations and preferences of the future talent pool and “recognize the most coveted employers based solely on the responses collected,” Universum explained.

Career goals, employer preferences

Besides polling students about their ideal employers, the survey also sought to gain insight into students’ career goal upon graduation, employer preferences, and salary expectations.

When asked about their most important career goal, nearly half (45.9 percent) of students surveyed consider having ‘work-life balance’ one of their top priorities, followed by ‘to be secure or stable in [my] job.’ “To be a leader or manager of people” was students’ third top goal, jumping three places from seventh to fourth among engineering talent and third to second amongst those studying business.

“Although the survey does not offer an explanation as to what is driving this trend, it highlights some great advice to employers looking to attract the very best talent within Vietnam,” the survey comments.

As for employer preferences, Vietnamese talent also prioritizes and seeks out employers who they perceive as having a strong culture and attractive working environment.

They also seek out employers who have a strong reputation and image, especially those seen as prestigious or as enjoying notable market success.

The survey found that the salary expectations of undergraduates fell about 12 percent in the past year, phenomena which might be linked to the relatively low rate of graduates who secure employment in the first six months after finishing their studies.

According to the survey, most Vietnamese undergrads fall into a career profile Universum terms ‘Careerist,’ or those characterized by being future-orientated and career-focused.

“They are fine with starting at the bottom and working their way up the career ladder, something they often feel makes them a better and more rounded leader when they get there,” Universum explains.

The Universum Top 100 Ideal Employers student survey, conducted online, takes place annually in over 57 countries globally and collects the views and preferences of over 1.3 million students.

Within the Asia-Pacific region, the study is currently run in Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.

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