Apple, Google and Inditex lead the ranking of the most attractive companies for university graduates in Spain
17/03/2026
On Tuesday 17 March, Merco and Recruiting Erasmus unveiled the results of the Merco University Talent Spain 2025/26 ranking, which lists the companies most highly rated as places to work by university students and those in higher-level vocational training in Spain.
In this ninth edition, the ranking is topped by Apple (1st), Google (2nd) and Inditex (3rd), followed by Microsoft (4th), Mercadona (5th), Amazon (6th), BBVA (7th), Santander (8th), Mercedes-Benz (9th) and Coca-Cola (10th), thus making up the Top 10 most attractive companies for university talent in Spain.
The aim of Merco Talento Universitario is to analyse the perception that final-year and penultimate-year students have of companies as potential employers, as well as to understand their career expectations, their preferences regarding work and the factors they consider most relevant when choosing a company.
Major findings
Overall satisfaction among university students continues to rise, reaching an average score of 8.11 this year, consolidating the positive trend observed in recent years.
According to this study, university students prefer to work for large, multinational companies. They also show a slight preference for jobs that require travel, though a large majority intend to settle permanently in Spain.
As for the type of job, they mainly choose stable positions where autonomy and independence are prioritised. Furthermore, students are divided between opting for a job offering career development, albeit with less job security (35.8%), or a more stable and secure job (46.5%).
Finally, there are gender differences in priorities when choosing a company. Men particularly value a good working environment, as well as pay and benefits, whilst women place greater importance on quality of life and the company’s reputation. Both men and women agree that training and professional development are important.
