For the eleventh year running, Statoil has been ranked as the most attractive employer by Norwegian technical subjects students. Economics students have been expressing a preference for working in Statoil for the past 6 years.
Each year, the independent company Universum Communication researches which companies young academics with a technology, economics and IT background would prefer to work for. This year's survey shows Statoil as yet again the most preferred employer among these students.
"This is brilliant," says Jens R Jenssen, Statoil's executive vice president for corporate human resources.
"We are maintaining our position as the most desirable employer among engineers and economists and are actually increasing in popularity when we look at the percentage figures. This is a step forward everyone in Statoil has contributed to."
Of economics students, 28% express a preference for Statoil as an employer, a 3% increase since 2006. The company's popularity is also increasing among technology students. Of these, 30% are hoping for a job in Statoil, representing a 3% increase on last year.
Merger partner Hydro also appeals to technology students and is right behind Statoil in the popularity stakes.
"The ranking strengthens our position in a market where competition for the best brains is always increasing," says Mr Jenssen.
"Young academics prefer Statoil because there are challenging positions and good career possibilities in the company. Feedback suggests that our people thrive in their jobs and believe the work environment is stimulating."
Statoil is targeting its promotion at students.
"We're humble," says Mr Jenssen. "If we are to maintain our position, we need to remain focused in our work. The recognition we're now reaping is a commitment."
IT students like the idea of a future with Statoil. The company is ranked as the third most popular employer among these, hot on the heels of Microsoft and Opera Software, climbing up five places compared to last year.
Universum Communication has carried out surveys among young academics since 1997. Their purpose is to make it simpler for Norwegian companies to understand what career goals and preferences young academics have, so that they can improve their recruitment and talent-retention strategy. This year 3,516 graduates took part in the survey.
The prize was presented in Oslo on 10 May.