Latin American students are clamoring to work at Microsoft and prefer the software giant over Google, according to a new survey by research firm Universum.

This bucks a trend seen in other regions, where Google (GOOG) is consistently rated as the most desirable employer among students and graduates.

"As a former Google employee, I thought, 'Oh no, why isn't Google on top?'" said Carly Creighton, head of Universum's Latin American division.

Microsoft is clearly benefiting from its established presence throughout Latin America.

"Google is fairly young in the market compared to Microsoft," said Creighton, noting that Microsoft (MSFT) has offices in all eight Latin American countries where students were surveyed, while Google only has a presence in five.

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Universum surveyed more than 111,000 business, engineering and IT undergraduates in eight Latin American countries, including Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Peru.

Microsoft came out on top, while Google came in second place.

Other firms that were highly ranked include Coca-Cola (KO), Nestle (NSRGY), IBM (IBM) and Samsung (SSNLF).

The survey found that Latin American students are drawn to workplaces that offer opportunities for training and professional development. They also place a high value on employers that offer leadership opportunities.

Creighton notes that students in other regions tend to put a higher value on work-life balance -- their Latin American peers are more interested in stability of employment and building a career.

This is the first time Universum has compiled rankings for the Latin American region. The company has been publishing similar reports in Europe for over two decades.