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Intesa Sanpaolo and Ferrari: the companies students dream of working for

Big tech firms are losing ground in Universum’s Italian rankings. Over 7,500 students from 50 universities were involved in compiling the rankings

by Cristina Casadei

29 October 2026

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5' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

The league table
Big Tech’s loss of ground
The luxury car sector is becoming increasingly attractive
The appeal of finance
The aspirations of young Italians
Gender differences
The importance of work-life balance

5' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Big tech firms are losing ground, overtaken by a major bank and a luxury car manufacturer. A beauty company has climbed the rankings by 34 places, whilst the National Health Service has once again become the sector where future healthcare professionals say they want to work. This year – perhaps partly due to announcements of job cuts at many tech companies resulting from efficiency gains achieved through artificial intelligence – the preferences of young talent, still at university, are somewhat upending the expectations of major brands in the Universum ranking, the international firm specialising in employer branding, labour market research and analysis, and talent attraction. For over 35 years, Universum has been investigating the expectations, preferences and behaviours of students, young talent and professionals, providing companies with insights and strategies to attract, engage and retain staff. These are the results for 2026.

The league table

To compile Universum’s ‘Most Attractive Employers 2026’ ranking, over 7,500 university students from more than 50 Italian universities, divided into five main fields of study, rated the companies: Business, Engineering/IT/Natural Sciences, Humanities, Law and Health/Medicine. In the business category, Intesa Sanpaolo tops the 2026 ranking, followed by Ferrari and the European Central Bank. JPMorgan Chase and Apple round off the top five. The most surprising finding, explains Roger Manfredsson, managing director of Universum EMEA, is ‘the general decline of the major tech giants in this sector: Apple has slipped from 1st to 5th place, Microsoft has even dropped out of the top 20 – suffering the sharpest decline among the major tech firms – and Google, whilst remaining in the top 10, has also dropped two places. This is not an isolated case, but a trend affecting the entire tech sector in the eyes of economics students’. Among the new entrants to the top 10 are Goldman Sachs in eighth place and L’Oréal Groupe in ninth; the latter has jumped 34 places in the men’s ranking alone (from 87th to 53rd place), whilst retaining the top spot in the women’s ranking. These results, as explained by Manuela Pardini, HR Director at L’Oréal Italia, demonstrate that the group has managed to “overcome the perception of being a company aimed primarily at women”, by combining “science, data and artificial intelligence with human creativity to drive technological innovation in the beauty sector”.

Big Tech’s loss of ground

Looking at the responses from students in the fields of engineering, IT and natural sciences, the picture is similar: Google, Apple and Microsoft remain in the top five, but here too they have seen a decline in their share of the vote in percentage terms. There has been a change at the top: Ferrari has taken first place, whilst Google has dropped to second. Rounding off the podium is Leonardo, which has climbed two places compared with 2025. At Ferrari, explains Dennis de Munck, Head of Employer Branding and University Partnerships, ‘we have always believed that innovation comes from people. Our founder taught us that only through teamwork can the best solutions for our future emerge. Being chosen by young talent as a place where they wish to build their career makes us particularly proud. We will continue to invest in skills development, training and the creation of an environment that allows everyone to grow, learn and contribute their ideas to Ferrari’s success.”

The luxury car sector is becoming increasingly attractive

In the engineering, IT and natural sciences sector, the automotive industry takes centre stage, occupying no fewer than 5 out of 10 places in the top 10: as well as Ferrari, the list includes Automobili Lamborghini in sixth place, the Mercedes-Benz Group in seventh, Ducati in ninth and the BMW Group in tenth, all of which have either grown or remained stable compared with 2025. The sector also has a strong presence and is growing in the lower reaches of the ranking, with Dallara climbing four places, the Volkswagen Group five and Stellantis nine – the sector’s biggest rise. Despite the Asian advance, the Italian and international automotive sector remains a major magnet for STEM talent, consistent with the preference for the sector recorded in 2026. In the other academic fields surveyed, Feltrinelli remains at the top in the humanities, Intesa Sanpaolo in law, and the National Health Service in the health sector.

The appeal of finance

The finance sector is attracting young talent across all disciplines. In the historical trend for 2021–2026 regarding the average ranking of sectors, banking has risen from mid-table to become the most attractive sector of all amongst business students. In terms of direct preferences, it has risen from 53 per cent to 58 per cent in just one year (+4.80 percentage points), the largest increase of any sector. Banking is also gaining ground amongst STEM students.

The aspirations of young Italians

What do young Italian talents really want? Professional development remains the top priority for students (65 per cent, up from 62 per cent in 2025), but the most interesting finding concerns a shift in the hierarchy of values: financial remuneration has risen from 4th to 2nd place, overtaking both respect for people (which has fallen from 2nd to 3rd) and employee wellbeing (from 3rd to 4th). Remaining within the top 10, preferences remain largely unchanged, with work-life balance, prospects for future career progression, job security, training and development, meritocracy and a collaborative working environment following in that order.

“The overall picture reveals a clear shift in priorities towards concrete and ‘traditional’ factors, such as salary, training and practical flexibility, at the expense of more aspirational attributes linked to purpose, innovation and stated corporate values,” explains Manfredsson.

Gender differences

When analysing preferences by gender, career progression is the top priority for both male and female students, with an identical 65 per cent rating it as ‘very important’ — a rare instance of complete agreement. However, on many other fronts the gap remains wide, and consistently in the same direction: female students attach greater importance to diversity, equity & inclusion (44 per cent compared with 25 per cent of men, +19 points), respect for people (69 per cent compared with 53 per cent, +16) and personal wellbeing (67 per cent compared with 51 per cent, +16). These are followed by gaps of 10–12 percentage points in job security, work-life balance, flexible working arrangements and sustainability, all of which favour women. On the other hand, financial remuneration is the only factor where men outscore women, though by a narrow margin (64 per cent compared with 58 per cent, +6 points). The picture that emerges is clear: female Italian students express a broader and more wide-ranging focus on values and organisational wellbeing, whilst for male students the priority remains more centred on career progression and pay.

The importance of work-life balance

In seeking to better understand students’ priorities, the first point that emerges is that work-life balance means, above all, reasonable working hours (73 per cent) and, next, the option to work remotely (48 per cent). Job security is also being redefined: by 2026, a safe working environment (65 per cent) emerges as the most important factor, ahead of a permanent contract and the company’s financial stability. Opportunities for professional growth remain centred on skills development, but the importance of structured career paths and support for certifications and continuous professional development is growing significantly. When it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion, students prioritise concrete results — fair treatment (78 per cent) and equal opportunities (74 per cent) — over formalised initiatives and activities.