APPLE has replaced China Mobile as the choice of ideal employer for young professionals in China despite accusations that its suppliers are running sweatshops, a survey shows.

The California-based gadget maker climbed from the fourth to top position on both business and engineering talent attraction lists this year, consulting company Universum said yesterday.

China Mobile was the third business career choice, following State Grid Corporation of China. The telecommunication tycoon was the runner-up in attracting engineers, with Google in third place.

Seven out of the top 10 spots on both lists are occupied by Chinese companies, including Bank of China, PetroChina, Sinopec, and China Investment Corp.

The survey, which aims to evaluate over 48,000 companies in China, was conducted among more than 17,000 young professionals.

Those taking part reported an annual salary of 65,890 yuan (US$10,384), which is a faster-than-inflation increase from last year's 57,750 yuan due to the high demand for qualified professionals.

Today's young professionals have high expectations of their earning prospects and companies which don't provide competitive salaries had to find other ways to compensate their employees, Universum said.

Secure employment, a good work-life balance, comfortable and friendly working environment, and professional training were the key leverages for companies to maintain and upgrade their talent pools, the survey said.

According to Apple's annual reports on the labor condition at its global suppliers, there is much room for improvement.

Earlier this year, 137 workers at a factory in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province were found seriously injured by a toxic chemical used in making screen for iPhones.

And Foxconn, one of Apple's biggest suppliers, has been plagued by a string of employee suicides since 2010, allegedly triggered by the high pressure of the company's working environment.