Bogota, July 9th, 2020
Results of Universum’s annual ranking with “The Most Attractive Employers of Colombia” show that companies such as Google, Ecopetrol, Gobierno, and Grupo Bancolombia are capturing the attention of new generations of talent.
- Banks, Education, and Marketing are the preferred industries
- A decrease in salary expectations and increase of interest for secure employment might be the reflect of a global crisis
- Gender gap in salary expectations reached 11%
As Generation Z enters the workforce it is crucial to understand its expectations, drivers, and aspirations. In 2020, Colombian young talent prioritizes companies that offer professional training and represent a good reference for a future career.
In the 2020 edition of the Ranking with The Most Attractive Employers of Colombia, 19,085 students from 59 different universities across Colombia, participated with their perspective of the most important attributes in an ideal employer and a future career during the period of October 2019 – April 2020. The total of areas of study included in this survey was 136 among which is worth to highlight Business/Commerce, Engineering/IT, Natural Sciences, Humanities/Liberal Arts/Education/Law, and Health/Medicine
Here is the top 10 of Most Attractive Employers in Colombia according to talent in different fields of study:
| Rank | Business | Engineering/IT |
| 1 | Ecopetrol | |
| 2 | Banco de la República | |
| 3 | Grupo Bancolombia | Microsoft |
| 4 | Avianca | Gobierno de Colombia |
| 5 | Gobierno de Colombia | Avianca |
| 6 | Ecopetrol | Grupo EPM |
| 7 | BVC (Bolsa de Valores de Colombia) | Huawei |
| 8 | Bavaria | Cemex |
| 9 | Microsoft | Fuerzas Armadas de Colombia |
| 10 | BBVA |
What is Colombian young talent looking for?
In the top of preferences in an ideal job, Colombians give the first position to professional training and development followed by jobs that offer a good reference for their future career. The third position represents one of the main conclusions of the 2020 study. This position was occupied by secure employment, an increase that is present in every field of study and reflects the worldwide economic uncertainty.
Regarding salaries, the average monthly expectation is $2’928,402, less than in 2019 when students expected $3’035.948
There is also a gender gap. Men expect to earn $3’064.920 while women expect $2’722.761, a difference of 11%.
Preferred Industries
When asked for those industries where students want to work once graduated, Banks was the big winner. Education took the second place followed by Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations.
Where employers should focus their online efforts?
The answer is on the corporate website. Colombian talent goes directly to a company corporate website when actively looking for professional opportunities. In a world abruptly turned virtual in 2020, this acquires special relevance for employers aiming to improve their Employer Branding. Worth to focus on a seamless user experience where talent can easily learn opportunities and efficiently apply to them.
The highest climbers
Some employers saw impressive results climbing positions in Universum’s 2020 ranking.
- For Business students, Groupe Reanult (Sofasa) and Marval escalated 16 positions compared to 2019 results. Other highest climbers are Cerrejón, DHL, and Terpel escalated 15 positions each.
- In the case of Engineering and IT students, Drumond joins the group of winners with an increase of 17 positions.
Newcomers
Among the companies joining Universum ranking for the first time are:
- Facebook (#13 in Business, #10 in Engineering)
- Huawei (#22 in Business, #7 in Engineering)
- Rappi (#45 in Business, #72 in Engineering)
About Universum
Universum, part of the StepStone Group, is a global thought leader in Employer Branding. With over 30 years of valuable experience in the field of employer branding, we have established ourselves in 60 markets globally, and our diverse workforce is physically present in 20 countries. We are uniquely positioned through our talent surveys to deliver key insights to recruiters about what future talent is looking for in a company. Our data-led, human and meaningful output has attracted more than 1,700 clients, including many Fortune 500 companies, as well as global media partners that publish our annual rankings and trend reports. Find out more at www.universumglobal.com.