The Australian Association of Graduate Employers (AAGE), the peak industry body for the early careers market, is pleased to announce the publication of the 2026 Top Graduate Employers lists. Now in their thirteenth year, the Top Graduate Employers rankings are the definitive guide to the best places to work for new graduates entering the workforce.
The Top Graduate Employers listed are the organisations that provided the most positive experiences for new graduates based on the opinions of graduates themselves. The rankings are determined entirely from survey feedback gathered from over 3,200 graduates who are in their first year of employment at over 180 organisations across Australia. The AAGE commissioned McCrindle to administer the survey which was conducted between November and December 2025.
The survey is completed anonymously and graduates are asked to rate their employer on 31 different categories including:
- Orientation or induction program
- Training and development program
- Quality of work
- Career progression
- Support and guidance from supervisor, manager and HR
- Access to mentoring and networking
- Compensation and benefits
- Work/life balance
- Wellbeing support
- The opportunity for community involvement
- Company culture.
This analysis of responses from graduates in relation to these categories provides a comprehensive measurement of each employer's performance across a broad range of criteria.
All of the individual responses from graduates at a particular employer are combined and used to determine an overall average rating for that organisation. These overall average ratings are then compared and ranked, subject to a minimum response rate. Employers have been ranked in one of three lists of 25 based on their intake size, enabling improved comparability and usability. A total of 75 employers are featured across these three lists. The employers with the highest overall average rating are shown on the Start My Career website at www.startmycareer.com.au/Top-Graduate-Employers.
For further information, please contact Shanan Green, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Association of Graduate Employers at shanan@aage.com.au.
