Gone are the days when banking and technology sectors were the mecca for college students seeking jobs.

Share Market Live

NSE

The allure of India's consumer companies has gripped everyone in the stock markets and now business graduates have also developed a strong liking for this defensive space.

Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) has emerged as the most preferred sector for graduates from business schools in India, according to a report by Nielsen India.

Nearly 46% respondents graduating in the class of 2018 indicated that FMCG was the most preferred sector to work in, up from 42% last year. This was followed by banking, financial services and insurance at 43% and automobiles/auto-ancillary at 34%.

While Hindustan Unilever is the most preferred employer among marketing students, and the most applied to company amongst all management students, Mckinsey & Company is perceived to be the best employer among management students of all streams, the research showed.

“The FMCG sector is poised to grow at a healthy rate of more than double digits over the next few years. This is manifested in the increasing trend of recruitments in the sector amongst top B-Schools as well as students’ increasing interest in pursuing a career in this sector,” said Sanjay Pal, executive director, Nielsen India.

Hopes of a revival in demand following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision of demonetization in late 2016 and the rollout of Goods and Services Tax in July 2017 has boost prospects of consumer goods companies.

The recovery in the rural economy after two straights years of good rainfall and an increase in crop prices are also adding to the optimism.

Mckinsey has emerged as the top B-School campus recruiter this year, according to the Nielsen Campus Recruitment Index 2017 (CRI), followed by Google & Hindustan Unilever to round up the top three.

CRI is a measurement of the recruiters’ brand strength at B-School campuses, based on multiple attributes such as job position, company's reputation etc.

First Published:May 30, 2018 1:23 PM IST