Survey discovers what matters most to men and women seeking a new job

The survey from e-recruitment platform Universum lists the top career preferences among Irish students.

Men are more concerned with high future salaries while women are seeking secure employment when it comes to career preference.

That is according to a survey of 10,043 students studying a wide range of disciplines in Ireland.

High earnings in the future were a top priority for males in the study, followed by job security.

Potential earnings was only the third most important factor for women in career preferences with job security and a friendly work environment being classed as more important.

The survey from e-recruitment platform Universum lists the top career preferences among Irish students.

Taken during the Covid-19 pandemic, the survey saw an increased importance placed on job security.

While it ranked top for females, it ranked second in importance for males, marking an increase in rankings for both groups when compared to 2020.

A friendly work environment ranked as one of the most common considerations for both cohorts, ranking in the top three employment preferences for both groups.

In a clear sign that career growth and salary were important for men, ‘clear path for advancement’ and ‘competitive base salary’ round out their top five.

For women, ethical standards and ‘respect for its people’ were fourth and fifth most important in career preferences.

2021 Top Career Preferences Among Irish Students:

	All students	Female	Male
1)	High Future Earnings	Secure Employment	High future earnings
2)	Secure Employment	A friendly work environment	Secure employment
3)	A friendly work environment	High future earnings	A friendly work environment
4)	Professional training and development	Ethical standards	Clear path for advancement
5)	Clear path for advancement	Respect for its people	Competitive base salary
6)	Encouraging work-life balance	Inspiring purpose	Professional training and development
7)	Respect for its people	Professional training and development	Encouraging work-life balance
8)	Ethical Standards	Clear path for advancement	Innovation
9)	Inspiring purpose	Encouraging work-life balance	Respect for its people
10)	Flexible working conditions	Inspiring leadership	Leaders who will support my development

Steve Ward, UK and Ireland Business Director for Universum said the survey shows how the desires of those entering the job market have changed.

“As the jobs market in Ireland begins to recover, it is becoming increasingly evident that the needs and desires of this talent pool have shifted.

“Perhaps unsurprisingly, one of the main considerations for students this year is job security, with both male and female students ranking this in their top three career attributes.

“However, despite being united on the importance of secure employment in the current environment, there is an evident discrepancy between the motivations of male and female students overall.

“According to the data, female students are drawn towards workplace culture and practices, while males tend to preference salary and career progression. For employers who are striving to improve the gender balance in their workforce, it is important that they understand the varying motivations of both cohorts.”