Security before money – students are attracted to the public service

More than 40% now consider a job in the public sector as attractive, as revealed in the 2018 Student Study. In the previous survey two years ago, it was still 32%. Cultural institutions (22%) and science (20%) rank second and third. An accident from third to eighth place in the rankings has seen the automobile industry. Only 8 percent of the approximately 2,000 respondents from 27 university cities in Germany consider the industry attractive. Two years ago, it was still 22%.

Money has become more important to students since the last survey. The feeling of having a safe job outweighs, according to the study but still significantly. "Young beginners in Germany have actually experienced only one thing during their undergraduate studies: it has grown and increased," said EY Human Resources chief Oliver Simon. Business is on the rise, unemployment is falling, and professionals are in urgent need: "University graduates find this job relatively easy," he said. "Therefore, it is surprising that they are so concerned about security and seemingly largely shy risk."

However, the uncertainty in the industry is also very large, entire industries are in transition. "The public service acts as a haven of stability in the midst of upheaval," Simon said.

A study in the state, the study finds mostly lawyers and attractive humanities. On the other hand, the majority of economists would like a job in a consulting firm or auditor. Engineers, on the other hand, are mostly enthusiastic about the IT and software industry. Above all, the automotive industry is losing immense popularity.

Simon, EY's staff manager, believes that the public service has become even more attractive to students whose academic performance is above average. However, the innovations that have made Germany successful worldwide will emerge in the private sector. "Companies should think about how they can continue to attract young professionals," said Simon. "The money alone is not enough."