More Business Students Choosing Public Sector Jobs

More business graduates are opting for job security in unstable economic times.

The Financial Post recently reported that 3,500 Canadian business students ranked a number of public sector institutions among their top 20 most desired employers.

The Government of Canada ranked third overall, and beat out all of Canada’s Big Five banks, as well as mega-companies like Microsoft Corp., Ernst & Young, Bell Canada, Sony Corp. and Facebook Inc.

“Taking a look at the government of Canada, they’re actually the most associated with security for business students and rank No. 3 for security among engineering and IT students,” said Melissa Burdette, research project manager for Universum, who gathered the research.

Some of the other public-sector organizations that made Universum’s Top 20 include the Canada Revenue Agency, the Bank of Canada and provincial governments.

The Financial Post also reported that students are not just being drawn to the job security that the public sector offers. Business students are also looking for respectful employers and high future earnings. Junior level pay can be also be significantly more than the private sector.

It’s currently estimated that the public service offers an estimated 200,000 positions across 1,000 job types.