While being a technical or functional expert is the most sought career goal for the engineering/ IT/natural sciences students in India, it is the career goal that the business students value least. Instead they want to become a leader or manger of people. To have a work/life balance is not at all of the same importance to the Indian students as it is to the students in the western countries, instead they want a secure and stable job and would very much like to have an international career.

 “In the past, Indian graduates were emigrating to the USA, the UK and other Western economies to find a job,” Florence Jonasson, research department project manager at Universum said. “However the Indian economy now offers more opportunities and an increasing numbers of multinational companies are settling in India, recruiting domestic and foreign graduates and offering international career opportunities and international exposure. Just like the students in Russia, it is not very important to the Indian students to be dedicated to a cause or to feel that they are serving a greater good.

Drivers behind choice of employer

Similar to the Chinese students, students in India find it important that their future employer has a good reputation. In terms of the job characteristics, roughly 30 per cent seek an employer who can offer them challenging work but also a secure employment and the same number seek an employer that offers a friendly work environment. Regarding remuneration and advancement opportunities we can see big differences between the business and the engineering students in India. While the business students seek an employer that offers them a competitive base salary (38 per cent) and good prospects for high future earnings (33 per cent) the engineering students prefer to be offered leadership opportunities (29 per cent) and a good reference for future career (27 per cent).

By Johanna Wahlström, Universum Quarterly 3/2010