It’s a historical moment for Apple, as it supersedes the world’s leading wireless operator – China Mobile. Seventeen-thousand young professionals carried out more than 48,000 individual company evaluations, judging them on their employer credentials and image, and have nominated the company that has been described as having an “I” for revolutionary technology – Apple.

In the business ranking, Apple takes over the top spot from China Mobile (now third) by climbing three positions, while SGCC keeps its second place. In the top 10 ranking, Chinese companies dominate – seven out of 10 employers are Chinese: Bank of China, PetroChina Company, Sinopec, CICC and Alibaba.

“The talent market for business career seekers is dominated by Chinese firms, which are perceived by talent as companies that offer secure employment, good work/life balance and a comfortable/friendlier working environment, much more so than their international recruitment competitors”, says Martin Lingner, President Asia-Pacific at Universum.

In the engineering ranking, Apple again finds the way to the top, relegating China Mobile to second place while Google holds strong at third place. Again Chinese companies seem to have an advantage, as the remaining top 10 positions are taken by six Chinese companies: SGCC, Sinopec, Baidu, PetroChina Company, ChinaTelecom and TENCENT. Yet the world’s leading software company, Microsoft, is still a worthy contender in China, obstructing others from entering the top 10.

“Engineers seem to be attracted to companies with financial strength, which offer professional training & development and good prospects for high future earnings. Career-seekers want to develop and improve their employability and prospects for a better and balanced career”, says William Wu, VP at Universum China.

Top 10 Ideal Employers—Business

1. Apple (4)
2. SGCC (2)
3. China Mobile (1)
4. Bank of China (5)
5. PetroChina Company (6)
6. Sinopec (9)
7. Google (10)
8. Procter & Gamble (3)
9. CICC (16)
10. Alibaba (13)

Top 10 Ideal Employers—Engineering

1. Apple (4)
2. China Mobile (1)
3. Google (3)
4. SGCC (2)
5. Sinopec (9)
6. Baidu (8)
7. PetroChina Company (7)
8. ChinaTelecom (5)
9. TENCENT (6)
10. Microsoft (11)*

In parentheses are the companies 2010 rankings. Click here to see the full list of China’s Top 100 Ideal Employers

Universum’s research shows three trends in China

1. Salaries are up by 14% in China

Annual salaries in China are growing fast and are well above inflation. From 57,750 CNY in 2010, participants now report an annual salary of 65,890 CNY. Engineers still earn the most, on average 69,500 CNY, followed by business professionals making 67,300 CNY and people working in the Health and Medicine sector taking home 64 000 CNY.

“The increased cost of talent reflects the high demand that qualified professionals have in China. Generation Y is ambitious when it comes to their living standard – they know they are needed in the job market, so they are not afraid to ask to be compensated for that. Companies that wish to prevail and secure their workforce without entering this salary competition need to find other ways of compensating their employees”, says Jessica Hedlund, Senior Sales Executive at Universum China

2. Traditional business companies are more attractive to China’s business professionals

Management Consulting firms, the big four professional services firms (Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG and PwC) and financial organizations are becoming more attractive employers among business career-seekers. They now gain ground from engineering companies, which are still competing aggressively for the same talent pool.

“This new trend reveals that the war for talent is now conducted in a broader scale and companies are tapping into talent pools that they have not considered before. This year’s results show that business companies seem to be winning the war for talent, but in this volatile environment engineering companies might be getting ready for a quick comeback”, adds Mr. Lingner.

3. Engineering & Manufacturing companies are less attractive to China’s engineers

Although companies from the Oil & Gas industry look stable, business companies are competing for engineers at the expense of employer in the engineering and manufacturing sector.
“In a world where top performers are becoming a scarce commodity, finding the right people is critical for business success. At a time when low birth and death rates are significantly shifting world demographics, the dilemmas of the 21st century are not only ‘Who will make-up the workforce?’, yet more importantly ‘Who will own it?’. Corporations are aware of the current and future challenges of a shrinking workforce. To counteract problems in securing their talent pipeline, companies require a talent attraction and employer branding strategy”, advised Mr. Lingner.