Introducing the Awards
Now in its fourteenth year, The SAGEA Employer Awards celebrate the achievements of South Africa’s leading graduate employers. The awards are decided entirely by successful job hunters, who have received confirmed job offers from graduate employers.
How the Awards are Researched
The SAGEA Employer Awards 2023 were developed as part of The SAGEA Candidate Insights 2023. The research was carried out on behalf of The South African Graduate Employers Association (SAGEA) by the specialist student and graduate research company, High Fliers Research Ltd. Launched in 2010, the survey is conducted on an annual basis to help SAGEA members to review the success of their graduate campaigns and help plan their future recruitment programmes. Research took place from March to June 2023 and 2,431 candidates responded during this time.
The Graduate Employers of Choice 2023
Each survey participant was asked to name up to two organisations whom they felt had the best graduate programme in specific sectors or industry groups with which they were familiar. There were no lists to choose from and their responses were entirely unprompted. Candidates were most likely to vote for specific organisations based on the programmes available, the training & development, or the overall reputation of the organisation. The leading employer and two runners-up were recorded across 21 separate sectors and this formed the basis of The Graduate Employers of Choice 2023.
In the accountancy sector the Big Four firms gained nearly three-quarters of the votes. There were a large number of votes in commercial and retail banking, with the top three organisations receiving two-thirds of the votes. Many candidates had an opinion as to who has the best graduate programme in the telecommunications sector, with the top three employers taking four-fifths of the votes. Several organisations – including Anglo American, Deloitte, Discovery, Mercedes-Benz, PwC, Sasol, Standard Bank and Unilever – appear in the top three for more than one category.
Aspirational Employer of Choice 2023
Candidates were asked to name the one organisation they most aspired to work for, irrespective of their current skill-set, degree, qualifications or job offer. While over 250 organisations were mentioned, the shortlist for Aspirational Employer of Choice 2023 is FNB, PwC and Standard Bank.
Company Representatives 2023
Each candidate was asked to name any representatives – and the organisation where they worked – who had made the most positive impression on them during their job search. More than 500 different people were mentioned, and this year’s shortlist includes Vera Harbinson, Kasheer Singh, and Giselle Ras.
