The most popular firms among fresh engineering graduates are Nokia, Audi, GE, Nestle and Siemens, business daily Világgazdaság reported citing a survey prepared by Budapest’s University of Technology and Economics (BME). These corporations became the most popular after having expanded their operations in Hungary in line with a series of new investments this year.

Oil and gas company Mol and drugmaker Egis have also moved ahead in the rankings since last year. These companies usually pay a premium to attract new working force, with average pay packages reaching Ft 213,000 (EUR 840) a month compared to a Ft 207,000 average paid to young graduates.

According to the survey male graduates in the engineering sphere are likely to outbid their female counterparts with respect to wages. In fact, the top companies are inclined to pay more to young graduates, and men earn Ft 428,000 in general in engineering jobs after three years. A woman engineer, in contrast, will get over Ft 100,000 less after 3 years.