In some industries, finding a job as a graduate is very difficult and is actively made more so by companies using exploitative tactics, such as internships and underpayment. However, there are also companies actively trying to ensure a happy transition for their graduate employees. In a survey by the Australian Association of Graduate Employers, 75 employers were ranked on their efforts to create a positive experience for graduates.

The survey utilises feedback from more than 2, 500 graduates who spent a year working for one of 75 organisations. The Australian Association of Graduate Employers asks the graduates to rank their employer in 25 different categories, including orientation, training and development, quality of work, career progression, compensation, company culture, and many more. This allows the Association to get a holistic idea of how the company treats it’s graduate employees.

These are the top 10 graduate employers in Australia in 2017:

1. ThoughtWorks Australia – technology consulting company
2. Department of Mines and Petroleum (WA) – state government organisation
3. KordaMentha – insolvency experts
4. Laing O’Rourke – international engineering company
5. Atlassian – software giant
6. AMP – financial services titan
7. Water Corporation (WA) – water services supplier
8. Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) – corporate watchdog
9. ShineWing Australia – accounting practice
10. Australia Post – nationwide postal service

 

The Top Graduate Employer in Australia for 2017 is ThoughtWorks Australia. The technology consulting company aims to “revolutionise software design, creation and delivery”, and does so by recognising and nurturing graduate talent. Since the turn of the millennium, ThoughtWorks has hired 160 graduates. Last year, it hired 29 graduates and this year the company has 32 roles in Australia. At least half of these are expected to go to female applicants. The fifth ranked company, Atlassian, also has a strong focus on hiring female graduates. This was evident in their last graduate intake, of which more than 60% were women.

Although it does not rank all employers in Australia with graduate positions, this list of the best employers serves as an excellent guide for both employers and prospective employees. Ben Reeves, the CEO of Australian Association of Graduate Employers, believes that the list is very helpful to university career services and professional associations.

“University career services are also encouraged to direct students to the list as part of job hunting activities to help them learn more about the top employers in Australia,” Reeves said.

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