Best Employer Survey 2019: How Professionals Choose Their Employer

In recent years, the number of candidates for one job in Ukraine has dropped significantly – from 31 specialists in 2015 to 10 in 2019. The share of emigrants among highly qualified specialists is growing rapidly. Such tendencies in the labor market require companies to pay more attention to the employer brand and respond to candidates' wishes. EY People Advisory Services specialists in Ukraine have conducted another Best Employer Survey to identify factors that attract candidates with work experience. As part of the 2019 survey, more than 1,000 candidates were interviewed with experience in various industries and regions of Ukraine. The survey was conducted from September to December 2019. More information about the study results is available at the link.

Employer attractiveness factors

The key criteria for choosing an employer for professionals are the company’s market position (66% of respondents), salary level (66%), personal and professional growth (62%), career growth (59%) and corporate culture (55%). This year candidates pay more attention to comfortable working conditions and the opportunity to work according their specialization. Such criteria as corporate culture and opportunities to gain international experience have somewhat lost their attractiveness to candidates when choosing an employer.

The most attractive industries and employers

The list of most attractive industries for experienced candidates has not really changed in recent years. IT-sector remains Top-industry, followed up by the consumer goods sector and professional services. It is worth noting the growing attractiveness of the agricultural and retail sectors. Agrochemical and insurance sectors became the least popular among the respondents.

During the study, respondents had a chance to name the three best employers in their opinion. In 2019, the most popular were the following (in alphabetical order): Coca-Cola, DTEK, Google, Japan Tobacco International, Kernel, Microsoft, Nestle, Philip Morris Ukraine, SoftServe, as well as the Big Four auditing and consulting companies.

Sources of information about employers

According to the survey, Internet-sources are the most popular source of information about companies for 98% of candidates with work experience, in particular online media (76%), social networks (69%) and corporate sites (59%). Respondents also mentioned the job portals and advise from relatives (50% and 48% respectively) as a source of information about employers. 49% of respondents form their opinion about employer while cooperate with them, and 46% - visit events with the company’s experts.

Reasons for job switching

According to the survey results in 2019, 69% of respondents consider the negative work atmosphere as a major factor that pushes them to find a new job. In addition, limited professional, personal, and career growth opportunities also make them look for another job. 40% of respondents are ready to switch their job if there is no common language with their manager.

Ideal manager for professionals

During the survey, the respondents were asked to choose the characteristics of an ideal manager. According to the most respondents, an ideal manager should meet the following criteria: "Supports employee development", "Treats employees with respect" and "Is open to new ideas" (78%, 76% and 67% respectively). At the same time, respondents paid less attention to factors such as “Ethical behavior” and “Applies the best practices”.

Candidate mobility

The survey results indicate an increasing readiness for internal mobility – 58% of experienced candidates are ready to move to another city for employment. The share of those who are ready to move abroad decreased to 74%.

The most preferred cities for internal migration are Lviv, Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, and Dnipro (in decreasing popularity order). Respondents who are ready relocate abroad prefer the United States, Canada, Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland (in decreasing popularity order). Among the reasons for migrating abroad, participants named an opportunity to get experience of living in another country, to build an international career, and to improve their professional skills.

Information about the Survey

EY conducts the Best Employer Survey in Ukraine since 2005. The main goal of the survey is to analyze the labor market attractiveness of the companies, define preferences of the candidates while choosing a workplace and provide recommendations on employer brand management. During the survey, we ask respondents to name up to three employers in order of their attractiveness and choose attractive companies from the suggested industry lists, which are based on the results of the previous years. Moreover, participants of the survey may also indicate factors of employer’s attractiveness and sources of information about them, as well as answer some other questions, which help to determine the major trends on the labor market.

The People Advisory Services practice at EY Ukraine provides consulting services on human resource management matters, including conducting external employer image analysis and employee opinion surveys (engagement level, corporate culture, values, motivational factors, etc.).

Information about EY

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