“With high earnings and job security the top two overall preferences, it’s clear that young people today are being impacted by the uncertainty that’s abounding in today’s economy, whether that’s inflation, the cost of living or house prices,” said Steve Ward, UK and Ireland business director at Universum.

“There is a whole new cohort of Gen Z and millennial students who will be looking to enter the workplace from this month. Employers that want to attract and retain this latest generation of talent need to ensure their recruitment and attraction strategies reflect what graduates are looking for in their employer,” Ward said.

The research was carried out as part of The Most Attractive Employers Index Ireland 2022. That study was conducted among 8,199 third-level students in areas such as economics, engineering, IT, natural science, humanities, law and medicine in Ireland.

It is intended to provide a snapshot of the key attributes that today’s students and graduates are looking for in their future employer.

Other highly ranked priorities included a friendly work environment (which came in third), a good work-life balance (fourth) and a clear path for advancement (fifth).

Read the full report here