Norwegian economics and technology students in their final year rank Statoil at the top of their list of employers they would like to work for, according to Universum Graduate Study.
The survey was carried out among university and college students in Norway.
Companies who are popular with the students have one thing in common – they visit university and college campuses where they hold presentations and offer trainee programmes.
Anne Bjerkelund Selvig, manager for personnel planning in human resources, believes that the positive result is mainly due to focused recruitment. "We are active and very conscious of how we present Statoil at universities and colleges," says Ms Selvig. "It’s an ongoing process.”
The survey shows that students consider Norwegian companies to be more attractive than before, whereas large consultant companies are losing ground.
The students’ preferences reflect the changing economic climate. This year’s survey shows that students are looking for job security more than they used to.
It also shows that a famous name is not enough on its own to attract the students, who are now concerned about flexible work hours and job satisfaction. They are looking for jobs where they can develop on a professional level and will look into a company to see if it offers training programmes through which they can develop their skills.
The results of the survey show that confidence in the industry has been re-established. When 18,000 jobs disappeared over 18 months as a result of low oil prices a couple of years ago, students became wary of the oil and gas industry.
Today 74,000 people work in the Norwegian oil industry. Thirty years after the Oil Age came to Norway many of the pioneers are approaching retirement age. According to an estimate by the Norwegian Oil Industry Association (OLF), the industry will need about 50,000 new employees over the next 20 years.