STOCKHOLM, October 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Universum, the employer branding company, presents the world's Top 50 most attractive employers. From the world's leading economies, nearly 120,000 students at top academic institutions chose ideal companies to work for. Google is the world's most attractive employer, followed closely by its rival, Microsoft.

This is the first global index of employer attractiveness and highlights the world's most powerful employer brands, those companies that excel in talent attraction and retention. The global rankings are based on the employer preferences of students from US, Japan, China, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Russia, Spain, Canada and India.

Employer branding is important. Michal Kalinowski, Universum's CEO explains, Despite the short-term easingof competition for talent caused by the recession, employers are faced with a shrinking global workforce, a lack of skilled workers and an increasingly demanding young generation. To secure talent under these conditions, they must develop true and differentiating employer brands - the Top 50 companies successfully manage to do just that.

Top 10 Business

1) Google, 2) PricewaterhouseCoopers, 3) Microsoft, 4) Goldman Sachs, 5) Ernst Young, 6) Procter Gamble, 7) J.P. Morgan, 8) KPMG, 9) McKinsey Company 10) Deloitte

Top 10 Engineering

1) Google, 2) Microsoft, 3) IBM, 4) BMW, 5) Intel, 6) General Electric, 7) Sony, 8) Siemens, 9) Shell 10) Procter Gamble

For the Global Top 50 rankings, go to http://www.universumglobal.com

Due to the globalisation of the talent market, multinational companies are generally recognised as being attractive employers. Lovisa Ohnell, Universum's research director comments, These multinational brands are globally well-known and provide students with an excellent reference for their future career. They offer relocation opportunities, training and development, interaction with clients and colleagues in various countries, and due to size and economic stability, they're also seen as the best choice for secure employment.

Universum conducts student surveys on an annual basis in 28 markets. Students are asked to choose employers they would most like to work for, i.e. Ideal Employers. National rankings are produced that enable companies to understand and track their employer brand position in the market. Unprecedented, the global rankings enable multinational companies to understand the strength of their employer brand on a global level.

SOURCE: Universum

CONTACT: For more info, contact Christopher Van Mossevelde / E-mail:cvm@universum.se / Tel: +46-8-5620-27-00 Ext 2749 / Mobile:+46-739-05-41-14