ABB again among the top employers in Universum’s student ranking

In 2023, ABB is the third most popular employer in the technology industry in Finland, and like the year before, engineering students chose ABB as the best in its field.

“It is a pleasure to accept this wonderful praise from the students in our industry – thank you! We always need new top talents to build a more sustainable future, and it’s great that students in the industry are interested in ABB as an employer,” Henri Hilke, Country HR Manager at ABB Finland comments the excellent result.

Henri accepted the award with his team on May 11 at a publication event at Hotel Kämp in Helsinki, where they had the opportunity to meet colleagues from different companies and enjoy Universum’s international program. The team sends its warmest congratulations to other employers for their success!

Caring of others in everyday work is important

ABB has been ranked among the industry’s top companies in Finland for many years in both the student and professional rankings. 

This year, over 13,424 students took part in the employer image review; 3,226 of the participants were technical students, which is more than the year before. The report shows the employers that the students have the most interest in, what the students want from their ideal employer and what features they associate with the employers.

In this year’s review, students highlighted diverse work opportunities most. In addition, many values related to culture, such as friendly workplace atmosphere, respect for people and supervisors that support the development of the employees, were ranked among the top ten attributes. Secure employment and flexibility were also valued. 

“Students are good at perceiving the elements that make a good employer,” says Henri.

Meaningful work for future experts

Creating a more sustainable future and a more diverse and inclusive work culture are at the core of ABB’s strategy.

“Our strength is an international, innovative, friendly and family friendly work culture where everyone can feel respected and valued,” says Henri. “ABB’s values – courage, care, curiosity and collaboration – are implemented in everyday work.”

ABB operates in 20 locations in Finland and employs approximately 5,000 professionals, many of whom work in research and development. In Finland, we are promoting for example sustainable marine operations and producing energy-efficient motors and frequency converters that can lower the energy consumption of the world by up to 10 per cent in use of our clients. The number corresponds to 40 per cent of the goal of cutting carbon dioxide emissions as stated in the Paris climate agreement.

“Work at ABB offers meaningful and diverse career opportunities in an international operation environment,” says Henri. “We invest a lot in a culture of continuous learning. It keeps us moving forward and provides a good drive for each team and individual.”

This year, many of the 800 summer interns have again arrived to ABB’s different business operations to learn new skills and bring their own views. “We’re excited to welcome these students as part of our team,” says Maria Pasanen, Country Manager, University Relations, Early Talents & Employer Branding from ABB Finland. “Collaboration with various educational institutions is extremely important for us throughout the year.”

“Besides summer internships, we offer students in different industries internship positions and opportunities for thesis work. Many of the students continue as part-time employees with us after summer internships and complete their thesis with us. Our goal is that many of them will have a career at ABB. Encouraged by these results, it is good to continue working on our employer brand image to advance also this goal," Maria says.