Best Graduate Employers in Australia 2023: Expected Salary, Area of Study, Work Environment, and More

Looking for the best graduate employers in Australia you can join for your first job or for your internship? Are you a fresh graduate in Australia?

There are over 2M active businesses in Australia. It’s no surprise many fresh graduates feel lost when it comes to selecting the company that best fits their career goals. It’s no longer about just finding a “career”. A company that simply offers you job satisfaction isn’t going to cut it anymore.

You’ll need a job that helps you find your strength, find joy daily, align with a meaningful life, and impact the world. It’s more than just money. Which company can offer a job that serves you and provide you a complete experience.

In this guide, we’ll cut through the noise and break down the top companies in Australia you need to know about.

If you’re interested in exploring other countries for your internship or job, here’s also a list from nearby countries like Singapore and India

Top 50 Employers for Business, Commerce and Management Graduates in Australia

Based on survey conducted by Universum across 3,278 Australian business students and University graduates, these are the top 50 most attractive graduate employer for business graduates. Google and Apple takes the 1st and 2nd spots respectively since 2020. Qantas dropped out of the top 5 employers in 2022 while Commonwealth (3rd position) and Deloitte (4th position) increased by one place in the same period.

Top 50 Employers for Engineering and Information Technology (IT) Graduates in Australia

Over 3,094 Engineering and IT graduates were surveyed. They rated these 50 graduate employers as the most attractive in Australia. Google is placed the 1st since 2020. Apple dropped one place to 3rd while Microsoft moved one position up to 2nd place. Amazon came in at 5th place for the first time, overtaking Samsung (10th place). Qantas dropped out of the top 5 positions to 7th position in 2021.

Top 50 Employers for Natural Sciences Graduates in Australia

According to a Universum study, 1,246 natural science graduates and students were surveyed to find out the top 50 most attractive graduate employers to them. CSIRO (1st place), Government – Federal/Commonwealth (2nd Place), and Government- State (3rd place) has maintained their positions 2020. Google rose by one position from 4th to 3rd, while United Nations dropped out of the top 5 in 2021.

Top 50 Employers for Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education Graduates in Australia

8,000+ students from humanities, social sciences and education fields of study were asked to list their top 50 graduate employer. Government – State (1st place) and Government – Federal/Commonwealth (2nd place) maintained their top spots since 2020. Google was rated 3rd in 2021 while Teach for Australia rose from 4th to 3rd position. Additionally, United nations rose one position from 5th to 4th position. Attached below is a table with the 50 best graduate employers.

What do graduates in Australia look for in an Employer in Australia?

Based on Universum, Graduates and students in Australia are looking for secure employment, high future earnings, a friendly work environment, ethical standards, clear path for advancements. A friendly work environment (3rd place) rose by 2 positions YoY. Ethical standards (4th place) also rose in importance as Students care more about the company’s purpose. Secure employment and high future earnings remain the top preferences respectively.

What do female graduates in Australia want from employers

Female graduates in Australia are looking for secure employment, Ethical standards, A friendly work environment, High future earnings, Professional training and development. The only change this year is high-future earnings moving up into 4th position.

What do male graduates in Australia look for in employers

Male graduates in Australia are looking for high future earnings, clear path for advancement, secure employment, A friendly work environment, professional training and development. A friendly work environment is no longer in the top 5 this year. High future earnings, clear path for advancement, and secure employment remains the top 3 criteria respectively.

Top preferred industries and sectors for Graduates in Australia

Hospital, healthcare, wellness and fitness are the hottest industries that graduates in Australia want to join. For males, their top 5 preferred industries are banking, financial services and technology, Computer software and technology, Hospital and healthcare, Aerospace and defence.

Expected annual salary of Graduates in Australia

The average expected annual salary in Australia among graduates are $90,271 AUD. Males expects 7% more than female students ($95,174 from males vs $88,457 from females). The national gender pay gap in Australia is 14.1% and it’s encouraging to see female graduates being more confident in their expectations as compared to the norm, although it’s still 7% lower than male.

The Most In-Demand Jobs in Australia

Since the pandemic, the jobs market and trends has changed rapidly. Expectation, industries and demand are transforming quickly. According to LinkedIn, the jobs with the fastest demand are Teachers, Account Executive, Account Manager, Full stack engineer, Cloud engineer, Business analyst, Software engineer, Business development Manager.

Conclusion and job trends from Gradate employers in Australia

As we enter a high inflation period, with a risk of a global recession, it’s more important than ever to select the right company that aligns with your goals and risk appetite. Explore as many internship opportunities as possible during your first 2 years of your career to find out what you want and do not want to do in your career. If you’re interested in exploring marketing, here’s a good article to understand marketing strategy and get you started.