50 companies where millennials really want to work

Google is the top destination for the world's job-seeking business and engineering students, according to a survey by employer branding agency Universum. And with the high-tech company holding the top spot for the past five years, it's unlikely to be dethroned any time soon.

Universum asked 200,000 business and engineering students to name the company they considered to be their ideal employer. The 2013 rankings are compiled from student surveys in the world's 12 largest economies: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Russia, UK and the United States.

To be clear, this survey isn't about employee satisfaction. Instead, it focuses on perception. And that's important for companies vying for talented young people in two in-demand fields.

Google is the top pick for both business and engineering students. The company is known for its perks, which includes on-site physicians and nurses, free travel insurance and legal aid, free food, nap pods, treadmill desks, access to bicycles and cars and lengthy paid-maternity leaves. The perception of this workplace-utopia is what drives 2.5 million people to send their resumes to Google every year.

But Universum says it's not just perks like a friendly work environment driving young people to these companies. Instead, Universum suggests these employers are attractive because of their strong association to attributes students consider important such as market success, professional training and development and secure employment.

Graphic: Universum; Photo of indoor bike land in Netherlands office by Google

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com