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Graduate recruitment: Graduates like RBS more this year

Beleaguered, public-owned Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) has risen 37 places in a ranking of UK’s most desirable financial organisations that graduates want to work for, according to a list of Top 100 Ideal Employers compiled by Swedish research firm Universum.

It joins other big-name employers, including Google and Apple, that are also in the top 25. Swedish retail giant IKEA took the top spot.

In order to compile the Top 100 list, Universum surveyed more than 10,000 British undergraduates on their perceptions, preferences and expectations in the world of work and asked them to select their ideal employers from a list of more than a hundred.

RBS's ranking at number 21 represents a rise of more than 37 places in the past 12 months, making it the highest climber within the business/commerce and financial services categories.

Mike Maddick, head of graduate resourcing at RBS, said: "Our high position demonstrates that the UK's undergraduates view our graduate offering extremely positively, namely the opportunity to be part of the RBS turnaround as we work to deliver our strategic plan.

"This time last year, Universum's research indicated that the desirability of potential employers within the banking and finance sector had been negatively affected by the economic downturn. The fact that we are now being perceived so positively is a very encouraging sign for the future of both RBS and the sector more widely."