As a result of the student job expectations and employer reputation survey, conducted by the employer branding agency Instar, the Tallinn-based LHV Bank has been rated as the most attractive employer among Estonian students in 2023.
According to a nationwide survey of university students in 2023, 47% of students expressed a desire to work at LHV. LHV is also the preferred employer among experienced Estonian workers, with 74% of respondents indicating a desire to work there.
According to students from vocational schools in Estonia, the most attractive employer is Apollo Group – an entertainment company that owns the Apollo bookstore chain – with 50% of all vocational school students expressing a desire to work there.
The survey of Estonian students has been conducted since 2010, and LHV’s attractiveness among evaluated organisations has grown year by year. Headquartered in Tallinn, LHV Bank was founded in 1999 and is the third largest and the biggest Estonian-owned (the first two, Swedbank and SEB, are subsidiaries of the namesake Swedish banks) bank in Estonia.
This year’s survey was conducted from March to May with the participation of over 6,000 students, vocational school students and experienced people from fields such as economics, information technology, construction, humanities, engineering, logistics and others.
Over the last fourteen years, during which the annual survey has been conducted, Estonian students’ net salary expectations have grown twice. Young people’s net salary expectations reached €2,293 per month in 2023, whereas in 2022, they expected €2,008 per month.
Students expect equal and fair treatment
In 2023, interest in becoming an entrepreneur has increased compared with the previous year. Twenty per cent of young people aspire to be their own employers. While the majority, 54% of students, want to work in the private sector, this number has decreased due to the increased interest in the public sector, with 24% wishing to work in the public sector. Only 2% of respondents expressed a desire to work in the third sector.
The two most important factors influencing the students’ job choices are equal and fair treatment by the organisation, which was rated the most important among 50 factors. In 2010, the most important criterion was interesting and developmental job content, with equal treatment only ranking fourth.
The majority (95%) would like to find a job in their field in Estonia, but 69% of students are interested in working in their field abroad.
When looking for a job and gathering information about employers, 92% of respondents consider the employer’s website as an important channel. Following that are job mediation platforms and internship programs. Eighty-one per cent of young people find recommendations from existing employees of the organisation important.
Top 10 most attractive employers for Estonian university students in 2023:
- LHV Bank
- Microsoft
- The Estonian education ministry
- Wise
- Bolt Technology
- Eesti Energia (an Estonian state-owned energy company)
- Pipedrive
- Swedbank
- Tallinn Airport
- The Estonian Public Broadcasting
Top 10 most attractive employers of Estonian vocational schools in 2023:
- Apollo Group
- Hilton Tallinn Park
- The Police and Border Guard Board
- Radisson Blu (Hotel Olümpia)
- Microsoft
- Swedbank
- Fazer Eesti
- LHV Bank
- Euronics
- Telia Estonia
Top 10 most attractive employers among the working-age population in Estonia in 2023:
- LHV Bank
- Wise
- Swedbank
- Pipedrive
- Microsoft
- Eesti Energia
- Bolt Technology
- SEB Bank
- Telia Estonia
- Bank of Estonia
