• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Best Workplaces

These Are the 10 Most Attractive Employers of 2016

By
Mack Gelber
Mack Gelber
and
Monster
Monster
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Mack Gelber
Mack Gelber
and
Monster
Monster
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 29, 2016, 10:00 AM ET
Facebook And Other Apps For iPhone And HTC Mobile Handsets
The Google Inc. company logo is seen on an Apple Inc. iPhone 4 smartphone in this arranged photograph in London, U.K., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. Apple Inc. is seeking a U.S. sales ban on eight models of Samsung Electronics Co. smartphones and the extension of a preliminary ban on a tablet computer after winning a patent trial against the South Korean company. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesChris Ratcliffe — Bloomberg via Getty Images

What makes one company more attractive than another? Maybe it’s the work environment—after all, what’s a great job without great people? Maybe it’s the cool perks and benefits, or a nifty-looking office with a Ping-Pong table in the break room. Or maybe it’s a chance to work for a company that’s making sweeping innovations in its industry.

Whatever the case, employer branding firm Universum’s latest World’s Most Attractive Employers survey seeks to uncover which companies are the biggest draws for today’s job seekers. The results feature a slew of industry powerhouses, many of which are hiring on Monster right now.

The survey draws on answers from over a million job-seeking students in business and engineering/IT disciplines. This approach makes for two separate top 10s that deviate in some ways, but remain similar in others: Google led among both sets of students, for instance, while software giants Apple and Microsoft also featured in both the business and IT top 10s.

For more on best workplaces to work for, watch this video:

Among business students, leaders in the professional services and finance industries balanced out the tech companies at the top of the list. Ernst & Young took the third-place spot (after Google and Apple), followed by Goldman Sachs and PricewaterhouseCoopers. On the finance side, Goldman was the only company in the top 10 to maintain its position from the previous year’s list, suggesting it’s one of the few employers in its field to successfully leverage digital and social media and maintain a strong image among millennials.

Meanwhile, engineering and IT students gave highest marks to the biggest names in software (Sony, Samsung and IBM also made the top 10). But not every company came from the tech space—at No. 4, BMW Group was the highest of several auto manufacturers to make the cut. But with the development of self-driving cars spurring collaboration between the tech and auto industries, its inclusion makes a lot of sense (BMW plans to produce autonomous vehicles by 2021).

More from Monster:
• This might just be the most important lesson in job searching
• Catch a Pokémon job while you’re swept up in the latest tech craze
• 100 companies making big hires in July

This is Universum’s list of the top 10 most attractive companies according to engineering/IT students…

1. Google (GOOG)
2. Microsoft (MSFT)
3. Apple (AAPL)
4. BMW Group (BMWYY)
5. IBM (IBM)
6. General Electric (GE)
7. Intel (INTC)
8. Siemens (SMAWF)
9. Samsung
10. Sony (SNE)

…And the 10 most attractive companies according to business students:

1. Google
2. Apple
3. Ernst & Young
4. Goldman Sachs (GS)
5. PricewaterhouseCoopers
6. Deloitte
7. Microsoft
8. KPMG
9. L’Oréal Group
10. J.P. Morgan

This piece originally appeared on Monster.com.

About the Authors
By Mack Gelber
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Monster
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

trump
Economynational debt
Trump wants to add nearly $7 trillion to the $39 trillion national debt with his new military budget, watchdog warns
By Nick LichtenbergApril 2, 2026
1 hour ago
paul krugman
EconomyIran
Paul Krugman smacks down Trump speech with argument that $4 gas is ‘less than half’ of the Hormuz hit. Here’s what he’s talking about
By Jake AngeloApril 2, 2026
2 hours ago
messi
CommentaryFlorida
Apollo and FC Barcelona just proved legacy markets are losing their grip on business
By Mike SimasApril 2, 2026
2 hours ago
Image showing multiple computer screens with code.
CybersecuritySecurity
Mercor, a $10 billion AI startup that works with companies including OpenAI and Anthropic, confirms major data breach
By Beatrice NolanApril 2, 2026
3 hours ago
picture of the word "solana"
CryptoCryptocurrency
Latest crypto hack sees thieves make off with $280 million from Solana DeFi platform Drift
By Carlos GarciaApril 2, 2026
3 hours ago
kroenke
CommentarySoccer
Why American billionaires are abandoning Wall Street for English soccer clubs
By Andrés MartinezApril 2, 2026
4 hours ago

Most Popular

Gen Z fled San Francisco for Texas and Florida. Now they’re turning ‘welcomer cities’ into the next big tech towns
Real Estate
Gen Z fled San Francisco for Texas and Florida. Now they’re turning ‘welcomer cities’ into the next big tech towns
By Fortune EditorsApril 2, 2026
14 hours ago
Current price of gold as of April 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of April 1, 2026
By Fortune EditorsApril 1, 2026
1 day ago
Two-thirds of parents say their adult Gen Z kids still rely on them financially  for support—even though it's putting them under strain
Success
Two-thirds of parents say their adult Gen Z kids still rely on them financially  for support—even though it's putting them under strain
By Fortune EditorsMarch 31, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of April 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of April 1, 2026
By Fortune EditorsApril 1, 2026
1 day ago
The tax escape map: Billionaires are bolting for Florida from the West Coast and taking billions in tax revenue with them
Real Estate
The tax escape map: Billionaires are bolting for Florida from the West Coast and taking billions in tax revenue with them
By Fortune EditorsApril 2, 2026
15 hours ago
Deutsche Bank asked AI if it’s true that AI will solve the economy’s inflation problems. The robots answered
Economy
Deutsche Bank asked AI if it’s true that AI will solve the economy’s inflation problems. The robots answered
By Fortune EditorsApril 1, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.