Government seen as IDEAL™ Employer by university students

The 2010 Magnet Communications South African Student Survey results provide a clear picture of what university students expect to find when they enter the world of work. This year, as has been the case every year since 2004, they told us who they most want to work for, what their career goals are, what they want to be paid, where they find information about their prospective employers, and much more.

“We are definitely seeing the effects of the economic downturn affecting our respondents’ career expectations,” says Peter Johansson, MD of Magnet Communications. “Particularly when it comes to salaries, career goals and a preference for employers who offer long-term security.”

In the science and humanities sectors the long-standing trend of a preference for government and parastatal employers was given a dramatic boost. Two government departments who were rank outsiders achieved first place in the science and humanities sectors: the Department of Health and the Department of Education. And a parastatal who was also an outsider, the National Health Laboratory Service, came in third in the science category. Another newcomer on the humanities list is the Department of Home Affairs, which came in ninth.

All of these organsations have experienced a degree of transformation in the recent past. Part of the renewal process has been the understanding that talent is fundamental to the future success of any organisation.

The Department of Health has critical shortages of pharmacists, nurses and medical doctors. And, as this is a global problem, the Department is looking at growing talent from within the pool of learners at high schools. Upon receiving the Magnet IDEAL Employer award on behalf of the Department of Health, Director General Gadizwe Nkomo said: “We have been involved in a major thrust to inform learners at schools around the country about the employment opportunities offered by the Department of Health. In addition to that, we have also partnered with universities to ensure that we attract top talent to build the department up.”

Nkomo also points to the severe competition for health personnel from the private sector. “This is of course a global challenge and we are dealing with it by improving remuneration, conditions of service, revitalising our health facilities with modern clinical equipment,” he explains. “But most importantly, we also aim to attract young people who wish to serve their communities, which is not such an outlandish idea when one considers that 36.27% of the respondents in Magnet’s Student Survey identified “To be dedicated to a cause or to feel that I am serving a greater good” as a career goal.”

National Health Laboratory Service Chief Executive Officer, Sagie Pillay, points out the significant changes that came with the appointment of Dr Aaron Motsoaledi as the Minister of Health. Particular importance was given to the strengthening of partnerships between the National Department of Health and the NHLS; and also to repositioning the NHLS by weaving in new priorities and strategic directions as outlined in the Minister of Health’s ten-point plan.

When we look at the top 15 employers in the humanities, we find that there were two government departments on the list in 2004 and 2005; three in 2006; four between 2007 and 2009; and seven in 2010. The shift has been less dramatic in science: from five in 2008 and 2009 to seven in 2010. “This ties in with what we are seeing in what students are telling us about their career goals,” Johansson says. “There is an increasing desire for security. In 2004 the top three career goals were: To have work / life balance; to build a sound financial base; and to have an international career. In 2010 the career goals are as follows: To be a leader or manager of people; to be competitively or intellectually challenged; and to be secure or stable in my job.”

Magnet gathered the data during three-month period, which elicited the responses of over 38 700 students at South Africa’s 23 universities. The research identifies employers in four areas of study: business / commerce; engineering / technology; health Care / health sciences / sciences; and humanities / liberal arts /law.

This year commerce students voted KPMG their number one IDEAL Employer, which pushed ABSA into second place — a spot it has maintained since 2006. Engineering students once again voted Eskom in — a position it has maintained since 2008.