Top 20 most attractive employers in Singapore: Exclusive ranking

Singapore Airlines and Changi Airport Group have once again snagged the top two spots as Singapore's most attractive employers.

This was according to Randstad's 2019 Employer Brand Research which surveyed 2,502 Singapore-based employees. Rounding up the top five was Marina Bay Sands, Procter & Gamble, and ExxonMobil.

Responding to queries by Human Resources Online, Randstad exclusively revealed the 20 most attractive employers in Singapore.

1. Singapore Airlines 2. Changi Airport Group 3. Marina Bay Sands 4. Procter & Gamble 5. ExxonMobil 6. Alibaba 7. DBS Bank 8. Edwards LifeSciences 9. Shell 10. Nestlé 11. Resorts Word Sentosa 12. CapitaLand 13. Novartis 14. Pratt and Whitney 15. Thermo Fisher Scientific 16. Deloitte 17. GSK 18. IBM 19. Johnson & Johnson 20. OCBC

The research also revealed the most attractive sectors in Singapore, the top employee value propositions factors workers look at, and key motivators for each generation.

Top five sectors Singapore-based employees want to work for were: hospitality and recreation services, information technology, pharmaceuticals, services (security, facilities and catering), and life sciences.

In Singapore, money is king when it comes to choosing an employer as well as the top reasons for employees across generations to stay.

The top employee value propositions factors workers look at were: attractive salary and benefits (65%), good work-life balance (61%), and job security (42%).

Similarly, across all generations surveyed, attractive salary and benefits came out as the top reason employees choose to stay with their employers.

• Gen Zers stayed with their employers for attractive salary and benefits (58%), good work-life balance (54%), and pleasant work atmosphere.
• Millennials stayed for similar reasons - attractive salary and benefits (60%), and good work-life balance (53%) - only differing with Gen Zers in the last point where they prioritised job security (43%) instead.
• Gen Xers and Baby Boomers had exactly the same reasons as Millennials. 65% of Gen Xers and 64% of Baby Boomers said their top reason to stay was attractive salary and benefits. Followed by 52% and 54% respectively for 'good work-life balance' and 47% and 50% respectively for 'job security'.

When it comes to top reasons for leaving their employers, 'limited career path' consistently came up in the top three for each generation.

• 49% of Gen Zers leave due to a limited career path, 35% due to insufficient challenges, and 33% cited low compensation as a reason for leaving.
• Millennials shared the top reason of limited career path (45%). Followed by low compensation (34%), and work-life balance issues (31%).
• Similarly, Gen Xers leave because of a limited career path (37%) and low compensation (33%), followed by lack of recognition and rewards (32%).
• Differing from the previous generations, Baby Boomers' top reason for leaving was a lack of recognition and rewards (39%), followed by work-life balance issues (34%), and a limited career path (33%).

The research also revealed a clear disconnect between employees' expectations and what companies are known to be offering. The biggest gaps were in work-life balance, and use of latest technologies (both showing a 7-point gap), followed by good reputation (6-point gap).

Other key findings include:

• 39% of respondents in Singapore have the intention to find a new employer in 2019.
• 60% of employees who have found new employers in 2018 have the intention to switch again in 2019.
• 18% of respondents were willing to give up at least one-tenth of their salary for better job security.
• The top five channels job seekers use to look for new job opportunities are: job portals, recruiters, personal connections and referrals, LinkedIn, and company career sites.
• 43% of Singapore-based employees prefer to work for large multinational corporations (MNCs). While 17% had no strong preference, 12% wanted to work for small- to mid-size business, 11% for non-profit and government, and 9% for their own business.
• Singapore-based employees believed MNCs offered better salaries while other company types provided better work-life balance.
• When looking to evaluate an employer's reputation, the first thing job seekers turn to is the company website (57%). This is consistent across all four generations in the survey.

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