Graduates do not rate finance giants - graduate jobs

Retail giants are not a popular employer among graduates, according to a new survey.

The study questioned four thousand British graduate professionals each having from one to 10 years' experience in the workplace - and compared the results with an earlier survey of 11,000 students yet to enter the job market.

The studies were undertaken by Swedish research firm Universum.

Graduates in work were quizzed on how they felt about 130 leading employers. They gave a resounding thumbs down to employers within the financial sector, such as insurance companies or banks.

But in stark contrast, the students ranked them as desirable employers.

The differing view emerged despite both surveys being carried out during the recession, when the financial sector was in the firing line over the economic downturn.

The graduates in work did not put a single employer from the financial sector in their top 20, but students put five of them in their list.

PricewaterhouseCoopers ranked ninth among the students but 32nd among the graduates in work. Elsewhere, bank and financial management firm JP Morgan was 16th in the student list but languished at 60th in the professionals' ranking.