The research, which was conducted among 1476 professionals across Northern Ireland reveals that multiple employers within the public sector are ranked among the ten most popular employers for professionals working across business, IT, and health and medicine industries.
Public Sector employers dominate NI professionals list of Most Attractive Employers with two big-name consultancy firms – PwC and Deloitte breaking the top ten. Media organisations also appear with both the BBC and UTV in the top ten while the PSNI and Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue also rank as employers of choice.
Hastings Hotels are the only hotel group to feature in the top thirty, while Belfast based IT software company Kainos appear just outside the top ten.
Analysis – Business Professionals Vs Business Students
The research also analysed the choices of business students and business professionals. According to the research, the top employers for students in the business sector are predominantly within tech and professional services industries, with the “big four” professional services firms – PwC, Deloitte, EY and KPMG dominating the top five.
However, for professionals working in the business sector, it is the public sector employers which are particularly popular with the Civil Service, the BBC and the Police all being named as attractive employers.
Commenting on the results, Sam McIlveen, General Manager at NIJobs.com, said:
“Employers are adjusting to the new Covid-19 reality. Retaining and attracting key talent not only has the potential to save organisations significant amounts of money, but it also can affect how quickly they can return to growth. It is a critical element of the pathway to recovery. Employers today should be more aware than ever of how they are perceived by different audiences, including their existing employees and prospective hires.
“Our research reflects the changing priorities among students and professionals. Students, understandably, want to work for employers where there is potential to earn significant amounts of money and opportunities for career development. However, as professionals progress in their careers, their priorities change and considerations such as work-life balance and job security come to the fore. For employers, it is critically important that they recognise these nuances and changing motivations of individuals at different stages in their career.
“Equally, employers must remain agile to changing market conditions. For example, if an organisation is implementing the same employment brand or recruitment strategy as twelve months ago, it is no longer fit for purpose.
“Since Covid-19, the world of work has changed, and so too have people’s priorities. An organisation’s recruitment and retention strategy must reflect this.
“For example, only last week, Twitter announced that it intends to give its global workforce the option of working from home permanently. This would have been completely unforeseen even twelve weeks ago; however, today, many audiences are seeing this development as a logical next step in the evolution of how we work.”
Coming on the results, Claes Peyron, Managing Director Universum, Nordics, UK & Ireland said:
“We are delighted to publish the 2020 Most Attractive Employer Index in partnership with NIJobs.com. Every year we work with over 2000 universities, alumni groups, and professional organisations across 60 markets to gather insights from students and professionals to advise employers on how to attract talent that fits their culture and purpose.
“This Index gives employers in Northern Ireland the opportunity to learn and understand how they are perceived by the talent they would like to attract. These valuable insights can assist businesses to develop hiring strategies to ensure they emerge from this crisis with the ability to restart and grow. “
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