Universum Rankings 2024

Student Employer Rankings 2024: Generation Z Enters Professional Life Ready to Perform and Motivated Universum data refutes stereotypical notion of a less ambitious Generation Z Home office gains importance with increasing age Female students expect an average of around 10,000 euros less salary per year than their male counterparts when starting their careers Porsche and the BMW Group gain in attractiveness, while other major automotive companies and suppliers suffer losses Performance-related aspects are indeed important to students when choosing an employer. These include diverse work tasks, recognition of performance, prestige, and market success. This is the result of a survey conducted by Universum, an employer branding consultancy belonging to The Stepstone Group. For the Universum Student Survey, 30,575 students across Germany were asked between September 2023 and April 2024 what is important to them in their job and career.* Performance instead of Work-Life Balance Since most of the surveyed students belong to Generation Z, the study provides insights into how ambitious this age group is. Diverse work tasks rank high on the list of characteristics that make employers attractive, with ranks 3 and 4 for 16- to 21-year-olds and 22- to 25-year-olds, respectively. "However, a comparison with the results of Universum's Professional survey suggests that it is less important which generation talents belong to. Rather, the life stage seems to determine their career preferences and wishes – and consequently, what makes companies attractive employers. During studies or at the start of a career, different topics are relevant than during the family formation phase," summarizes David Falzon, Country Manager Germany at Universum, the results. Thus, the desire for diverse work tasks loses importance with increasing age (rank 7 for 26- to 29-year-olds and rank 10 for 30- to 39-year-olds). Subsequently, it becomes more important again for the age groups 40 to 55 (rank 7) and over 56 (rank 4). A similar development can be observed for the topics of performance recognition, prestige, and market success. "First take a deep breath after university? Not at all. Highly educated young people start their professional lives motivated and with high performance demands, as the Universum study shows. Employers who want to convince young, qualified talents must realize that this performance does not come by itself. It requires an attractive employer brand that can be linked to the values, wishes, and goals of young people. Companies that create such a match will have great advantages in the competition for the few young talents in times of labor shortage. It is important to set the right course today," says Dr. Tobias Zimmermann, labor market expert at The Stepstone Group. In contrast, the promotion of work-life balance is least important for younger people (16- to 21-year-olds: rank 14). Only with increasing age does the topic gain importance (22- to 25-year-olds: rank 7, 26- to 29-year-olds: rank 4). The greatest value on work-life balance is placed by 30- to 39-year-olds (rank 3). After that, work-life balance loses importance again (40- to 55-year-olds: rank 6, older than 56-year-olds: rank 22). A friendly work environment, however, remains similarly important for all age groups with ranks 5 to 8. "We see that performance-related topics generally only lose importance in the middle of working life, i.e., in a life phase in which family life probably comes more into focus for many talents," says Benedikt Strobel, who supervises the student survey at Universum. Home office gains importance with increasing age Universum's data contradicts the common perception that remote work is particularly popular with Generation Z: Students in the age groups including Generation Z between 16 and 29 years wish for an average of 2.5 home office days from their future employer. This is slightly below professionals: 30- to 39-year-olds and 40- to 55-year-olds would like 3 home office days. Also, when it comes to how important it is for an employer to offer home office, the age groups belonging to Generation Z are at the lower end of the scale: For 35 percent of 16- to 21-year-olds and almost 48 percent of 22- to 25-year-olds, home office is important or very important. For 26- to 29-year-olds, it is only slightly more at 54 percent. It is significantly more important for professionals: In the age group 30 to 39 years, 65 percent state that the availability of home office is important or very important to them. For 40- to 55-year-olds, it is 62 percent. Salary gap begins during studies: Women expect significantly less salary than their male counterparts An attractive basic salary and a high income in the future are among the top benefits that make companies attractive as future employers for students in all disciplines. However, when it comes to specific amounts, women and men differ significantly: Women expect around 10,000 euros less salary per