Scientists Award Bayer Second Place in Employer Rankings

Leverkusen, November 2009. It’s official – Bayer is a popular employer. A ranking by the magazine Wirtschaftswoche and consulting company Universum Communications has revealed that Bayer is the second most popular employer for young professionals in the scientific sector in Germany. The Leverkusen-based group finished ahead of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and was only pipped at the post by the Max Planck Society.

Innovation Is an Attractive Quality
Among those in the scientific sector, Bayer improved considerably on last year’s seventh place by moving up to second. What’s more, Bayer Schering Pharma achieved its own independent ranking, coming in at number eight (compared to 24th place in 2008). “Bayer’s image as an innovative, research-oriented company makes us very attractive to young potential employees,” says Dirk Pfenning from the Center of Expertise People Development of the Bayer holding company.

Working with market researchers from Access, Universum Communications surveyed around 7,800 graduates aged 24 and over, all of whom had at least one year of professional experience under their belts. They revealed which companies they would most like to work for, the criteria upon which they based this decision and what they hoped to achieve during their careers.

According to the study, young people seeking a job feel it is important that they find the employer’s products and services “attractive and interesting.” That’s a deciding factor for 44.9 percent of those questioned. The innovative strength of the company is the second most important factor. In addition, a healthy life/work balance is a top priority for 48.4 percent of those interviewed in the survey.