The Council for Scientific and Industrial (CSIR) is proud to be ranked top most attractive employment destination by most students and professionals in the category of natural science.

Branding firm, Universum, recently released its Most Attractive Employer rankings for 2019. According to the survey, 14.64% of students and 13.35% of South African professionals in the natural sciences category have a strong interest in working for the CSIR. In this category, the CSIR rose above the competition when ranked with companies such as Sasol, AB Inbev, Unilever, Google, Discovery and the Agricultural Research Council.

Universum is an employer-branding organisation that provides market insights and communication solutions to help employers attract, recruit and retain professional talent. Nearly 23 000 working professionals and over 45 000 students participated in the 2019 survey to share their opinions and views on career goals and ideal employers.

This is after the organisation was recently certified as as a Top Employer for the ninth consecutive year by the Top Employers Institute, an independent human resources certification company.

CSIR Acting Group Executive for Human Capital, Andile Mabindisa, says the CSIR is proud to be chosen as an employer of choice. “It is really exciting to see the interest that South Africans have in the CSIR. Being chosen by students and professionals as an employer of choice is an honour.”

“What makes us more proud is that young people (students) appreciate and understand the role of this organisation in the private sector and society. One of our roles, as mandated by the Department of Higher Education, Science and Technology, is to popularise science and technology among the youth, especially those in the rural areas. This proves that our pipeline programmes are bearing fruit. Our outreach programmes, bursaries, internships and studentships aim to realise the potential of bright young minds and provide support, interaction and knowledge to help young people who are interested in science careers to shine even brighter,” he says.

Universum SA Country Manager, Keshia Serage, says the country’s talent pool is looking for professional training and development, leadership opportunities, inspiring leadership and ethics in the workplace.

“Talent now looks beyond the role. What is the work environment like? What are the job characteristics? What is the advancement potential? If these can’t be answered, it has a significant effect on mobility from job to job, country to country, with a concerning impact on the already stretched economy,” says Serage.