Employment of young Saudi nationals is a top priority for the country and for companies at all levels.
Despite the slower economic growth due to the fall in the oil price, there is still competition between
employers for attracting, recruiting and retaining the best Saudi graduates.
This research study was conducted by GulfTalent, the Middle East’s leading online recruitment firm
for professionals, in collaboration with King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM).
It summarises the employment preferences of the Saudi graduates surveyed and which companies
they would most like to work for.
It is hoped that the survey findings will help employers evaluate and improve their approach to
recruiting Saudi graduates.
1© GulfTalent 2016. All rights reserved.
GulfTalent would like to thank the
students and administration of King Fahd
University of Petroleum and Minerals
(KFUPM) for their support and
enthusiastic participation in this research
initiative.
2
37%
63%
This research report is based on
GulfTalent’s survey of 224 recent graduates
and final-year students of King Fahd
Universtiy of Petroleum and Minerals
(KFUPM).
KFUPM is the leading engineering
university in Saudi Arabia, with a diverse
pool of students from different regions of
the Kingdom.
The survey was conducted during June-July
2016. Married
Graduates
Single
Graduates
By Marital Status
Survey Population by
Subject of Study
3
53%24%
19%
4%
RiyadhEastern Province
Western
Region
Other Regions
By Graduate’s Region
of Origin
11%
86%
3%
Engineering
BusinessNatural Sciences
4
Note: No pre-compiled list of employers was presented to survey participants and they were asked to name their preferred employers themselves without prompting.
For full details of ranking methodology, see note on methodology – page 17.
11 12 13 14 15
6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5
16 17 18 19 20
1. Aramco
2. SABIC
3. Schlumberger
4. Sadara
5. Baker Hughes
1. ABB
2. BAE Systems
3. NCMS
1. Capital Market Authority
2. PwC
3. SAMA
Finance
Technology
1. Huawei
Aviation
1. Saudi Airlines
Oil & Gas
5
1. P&G
2. Unilever
Consumer Goods
Engineering Conglomerates
1. GE
2. Siemens
Utilities
1. Saudi Electricity
1. STC
Telecom
1. Abdul Latif Jameel
Automotive
The top employers of choice remain fairly
consistent across the country.
In particular, Aramco completely dominates
the popularity rankings across the country,
irrespective of the graduates’ region of
origin.
6
1
2
3
4
5
Jeddah
Riyadh
Dammam
Aramco Aramco Aramco
Schlumberger SABIC SABIC
SABIC Schlumberger Schlumberger
Bechtel Saudi Electricity STC
GE GE ABB
17%
11%
72%
7
Government
Organisations
Saudi Private
Sector
Multinational
Companies
When explicitly asked which types of
organisations they would most like to work
for, an overwhelming 72% of graduates
preferred multinational companies,
compared with 17% who wanted to work
for government organisations.
However, even for graduates favouring
multinationals, Aramco and SABIC were
still the prime choice, despite being
government-owned . Many reported that
the pair ‘behave like multinationals’,
offering excellent training and international
opportunities.
Comparing this year’s results against
results of the same survey conducted by
GulfTalent over the past decade shows
consistent dominance of Aramco and
SABIC as the employers of choice for
Saudi graduates.
Subsequent ranks have changed
significantly, however, with banks and
consumer goods companies falling in
popularity while more engineering firms
have risen to the top.
Some graduates surveyed cited lack of job
security in banking as a key reason for
preferring other sectors over banking.
8
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Aramco Aramco Aramco
SABIC SABIC SABIC
Saudi Electricity Schlumberger Schlumberger
STC GE GE
P&G P&G Saudi Electricity
Schlumberger Baker Hughes Sadara
Unilever Google STC
Cisco Chevron Saudi Airlines
Samba Halliburton P&G
Mobily SATORP ABB
The interest in government jobs is much
higher than in the last decade, but has fallen
slightly below its peak a few years ago.
Locally-owned private sector firms appear to
be the least desirable choice for graduates,
attracting only 11%, though this is much
higher than 5 years ago in the aftermath of
the financial crisis.
The interest in government jobs increased
during the past decade following multiple
generous pay increases in the public sector.
In recent years, this interest has fallen slightly
following the government’s drive to have
more Saudis employed in the private sector.
9
Multinational
Companies
Government
Organisations
Saudi Private
Sector
72%75%68%
11%6%19%
17%19%13%
201620112005
The survey asked graduates to indicate
the main reasons behind their choice of
employer.
Motivations appear to vary widely,
covering 10 different factors.
The dominant factors cited by the most
number of graduates are: good training,
challenging work and attractive salary.
10
What Graduates Look for in their Chosen Employers
21%
19%
16%
11%
9%
Interesting & Challenging Work
Good Training & Development
Good Company Brand & Reputation
Good Salary and Benefits
Clear Path of Progression
Chance to Live & Work Abroad
Flexible Hours / Work-Life Balance
Great Work Culture
Stability & Job Security
7%
6%
6%
4%
While overall attraction factors are
similar across employer types, their
relative contribution to the graduates’
career decisions vary between
multinationals and government entities.
Graduates choosing multinationals
place an even higher value on
challenging work, international
exposure and training, compared to the
average graduate population.
By contrast, those mentioning
government as their favored work
destination place a comparatively
higher value on the company’s brand,
job security and salary.
11
‘+10%’ indicates that 10% more of graduates choosing multinationals cite this factor as a key
attraction, compared with graduates who choose government organisations
Top attraction factors relative
to government
Top attraction factors relative
to multinationals
Government
OrganizationsMultinational
Companies
Challenging & Interesting
Work (+10%*)
Chance to Live &
Work Abroad (+5%)
Good Training &
Development (+2%)Good Salary &
Benefits (+3%)
Stability / Job Security
(+5%)
Good Company
Brand (+6%)
*
The survey found the graduates’
motivations to be strongly correlated with
their marital status.
Single graduates are much more likely to
choose a company that offers challenging
work, good training and a chance to live
and work abroad.
On the other hand, married graduates are
more likely to be attracted to companies
with good salaries, work-life balance and
a clear path of progression.
12
‘+6%’ indicates that 6% more of single graduates cite this factor as a key attraction, compared
with graduates who are married
Top attraction factors relative
to married graduates
Top attraction factors relative
to single graduates
Married
GraduatesSingle
Graduates
Interesting & Challenging
Work (+6%*)
Good Training &
Development (+3%)
Chance to Live &
Work Abroad (+2%)Clear Path of
Progression (+3%)
Flexible Hours / Good
Work-Life Balance (+3%)
Good Salary & Benefits
(+8%)
*
44%
34%15%
7%
Most graduates report a strong desire for
international exposure, with roughly half
indicating they would like to live and work
outside Saudi Arabia, at least for a few
years.
This has contributed to the popularity of
companies such as GE and P&G, which are
perceived to offer overseas opportunities.
The US is by far the most popular overseas
work destination for Saudi graduates,
followed by the UAE and Qatar.
Most Popular Destinations
USA
UAE
Qatar
31%
18%
8%
13
Work abroad for a
few years
Permanently relocate
Not interestedOnly travel abroad
on business trips
The survey explored what factors graduates
perceive to contribute the most to their
success in securing employment.
Perceptions appear to vary widely. Having
relevant work experience is viewed by many
graduates as the most important factor,
followed by relevant subject of education.
Having personal connections (‘Wasta’) is
viewed as a key factor by a significant
number of graduates.
14
18%
16%
14%
11%
11%
10%
10%
9%
1%
Relevant Work Experience
Relevant Subject of Education
Suitable Personality
Top University
Wasta / Personal Connections
Good Interview
Good English
High Grades
Student Activities
The average starting salary expectation of
graduates surveyed stands at 12,000 Saudi
Riyals per month. (range 8-18k)
Married graduates have a slightly lower
median salary expectation at 10,000 Riyals,
compared with 12,000 Riyals median
expectation of unmarried graduates.
The overall average salary expectation
shows a 50% increase over the period
2005-2016. This is roughly in line with the
increase in cost of living, which according
to inflation data from the IMF has risen by
55% over this period.
15
12,000 Riyals10,000 Riyals
8,000 Riyals
Nine out of ten graduates are seeking a job
after graduation, with less than one-tenth
planning further study. 4% of graduates aim
to start up on their own.
Among those who seek employment, the
level of success varies. Two in five single
graduates have already secured a job offer
by the time of graduation, compared to
around one in five married graduates.
The low employment rate of married
graduates may explain their lower salary
expectations. Some employers attributed
the greater flexibility of unmarried graduates
to relocate to different location as a factor
contributing to their high employability.
88%
8%4%
Seeking a Job
after graduation
Own Business
Full-time study
38%
23%
Single
Graduates
Married
Graduates
Have a job offer on graduation
16
Each participant was asked to name the top 3 employers they would most like to work for after graduation.
No pre-compiled list of employers was presented to survey participants and they were asked to name their
preferred employers themselves without prompting.
Subsidiaries that received mentions separately from their parent (e.g. Sadara which is a subsidiary of
Aramco) were listed separately.
When two different names of the same organization were mentioned, they were added together to determine
the overall votes of the organization (e.g. ‘STC’ and ‘STC Company’)
While best efforts have been made to provide an independent, representative picture, the survey results
ultimately reflect the opinion of those who participated and may not be representative of all graduates in Saudi
Arabia. In particular, as a pre-dominantly engineering university, KFUPM graduates are inevitably more likely to
be drawn to engineering firms than those in finance and marketing.
If you wish to share your comments or feedback on this report, feel free to write to [email protected]
17
• Bechtel
• Intecsa
• Fluor
• AEC
• GDC
Technology
• Cisco
• IBM
• Oracle
• Microsoft
18
Engineering Utilities
• Marafiq
Construction
• BP
• NOV
• SASREF
• SATORP
• Weatherford
• Halliburton
Oil & Gas
*These employers received mention by at least some respondents. However, there was insufficient data for them to be reliably ranked.
Mining
• Maaden
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