ADNOC, Saudi Aramco top job wishlist for students

MOST POPULAR: Saudi Aramco is among the most popular companies in the Gulf for students, a new survey reveals.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Saudi Aramco and Google are among the most companies for students and graduates in the Middle East, a new survey published on Sunday reveals.

The research from KhaleejGraduates.com and the Employer Brand Institute, which attracted more than 1,000 respondents from 10 universities in the GCC, showed that ADNOC, Emaar and Etisalat were the most popular employers in the UAE.

Respondents in Saudi Arabia ranked Saudi Aramco as the most popular employer, ahead of SABIC and Samba.

The results also showed a strong performance of Microsoft and Google throughout the GCC region and particularly in Bahrain, where they led the rankings.

The survey offers insights into graduates' preferred employers, expected salaries, international career ambitions and the benefits they seek from an employer.

The poll also found growth and development opportunities were the most important criteria in choosing an employer with 52 percent of respondents indicating they find this an important factor, ahead of an attractive salary (37 percent) and a strong reputation (11 percent).

Bahraini students and graduates have the strongest international ambitions with 87 percent intending to work abroad either permanently or temporarily.

Respondents in the UAE and Saudi Arabia also indicated a strong international outlook (75 percent).

Other key findings of the survey included the expectation of UAE students and graduates regarding their entry salaries.

They were the highest in the region ($3,990 a month), more than 50 percent higher than expected salaries in Saudi Arabia and around 150 percent higher than Bahrain.

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