HayRate 2025 – 5th Anniversary: Armenia’s Most Attractive Employers
On February 6, the 5th anniversary HayRate 2025 Awards Ceremony took place, celebrating the most attractive employers in Armenia based on a comprehensive nationwide survey conducted among university students.
For the fifth consecutive year, Grant Thornton Armenia, in collaboration with the Armenian HR Association, has been implementing the annual Hayrate Initiative - a research program that examines employer brand perception, trust, and preference among students across Armenia.
Both organizations place significant importance on the continuous development of Armenian employers and their ongoing efforts to strengthen their employer brand. Initiatives like HayRate give students the opportunity to voice their opinions, while encouraging employers to adopt more targeted, flexible, motivating, and inclusive approaches toward young talent.
Over the past five years, HayRate has become a unique platform where students, universities, employers, and state institutions engage in dialogue and collaboration, gaining accurate insights necessary for effective organizational planning and data-driven decision-making.
This year, students mentioned the names of more than 100 employers, from which the Top 10 most voted organizations were announced during the ceremony. Additionally, companies receiving the highest number of votes in the categories of “Attractive Employer” and “Most Attractive Employer” were recognized and awarded.
The companies ranking highest this year include: Ameriabank, Digitain, Picsart, Central Bank of Armenia, Ardshinbank, RA State Revenue Committee, Synopsys, Acba Bank, Service Titan, and SoftConstruct.
Lilit Gevorgyan, Director of Human Capital Advisory Services at Grant Thornton Armenia, highlighted: “In today’s rapidly changing labor market, attracting young professionals and creating real growth opportunities for them has become a top priority for employers. The HayRate results provide an honest reflection of what students expect from a modern workplace. Beyond competitive compensation, young people seek a healthy team environment, transparent development pathways, and the chance to create visible impact through their work. This research helps employers reevaluate their approach to human capital and build environments where young talent can work, grow, take initiative, and bring bold ideas to life. I can confidently say that HayRate continues to strengthen student-employer cooperation, develop a culture of informed career choice, and contribute to the overall competitiveness of organizations.”
Arpi Karapetyan, President of the Armenian HR Association, welcomed the guests and noted: “Employer branding and all of its related functions—from fairness in the workplace and trust toward leadership to effective recruitment processes—are becoming increasingly prominent in the global HR community. According to a recent 2025 EAPM study, employer branding ranked third among the most important HR functions worldwide. In fact, we began emphasizing this topic in Armenia earlier than the global community did. We highly value this initiative and consistently invest in expanding student involvement and encouraging dialogue among all stakeholders. Such dialogue is a cornerstone of labor market development, helping generate ideas and drive concrete action.”
The event hosted around 200 participants, including officials from the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports and the RA Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, HR professionals from various sectors, leadership representatives from around 20 universities and career centers across Armenia, as well as students.
Participants emphasized the value of such initiatives, noting that thanks to HayRate, employers can evaluate the effectiveness of their HR efforts and discover new opportunities for involving young talent.
The importance of maintaining strong student-employer relations was once again reaffirmed, underscoring HayRate’s role as an effective platform for fostering communication and insight sharing.
The full analytical results of the research are available here.