WHAT IS THE STUDY ABOUT? 

Canada is underrepresented in university student job sector attraction research, and many researchers have noted differences between countries in what attracts university students to the public sector (Hinna et al., 2021; Lee & Choi, 2016; Sanabria-Pulido, 2018). Therefore, this study aims to fill the gap by focusing on the factors that drive Canadian university student job sector preferences.

The study will focus on Nova Scotia university students pursuing economics, business, and social science degrees. Previous studies have looked at students in these programs due to their opportunities to explore public, private, and non-for-profit sector work after graduation (Asseburg & Homeberg, 2020; Holum et al., 2024; Pederson, 2013), but none were conducted in Canada. A quantitative survey, will be issued to measure the impact of public service motivation, work values, workplace attributes, and reputation on student job sector attraction.  

POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF THE STUDY 

This research will contribute new knowledge regarding student job sector attraction in the Canadian context, specifically the impact of public service motivation, work values, perceived workplace factors, and perceived reputation. Furthermore, it will allow for specific insights into how the public sector can attract university students to the profession, benefiting public-sector recruiting efforts.