The Randstad Award is reputedly the world’s largest employer branding survey and is presented each year to the most attractive employer in 25 countries across the globe. The sample currently consists of 200,000+ respondents and covers 75% of the global economy.

The Randstad Award is now in its fifth year in Singapore, having been held since 2012. With the 2016 edition just around the corner to be held on the April 7 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre – Marina Bay Sands, we take a trip back in time to review some of the key trends that have transpired over the years.

Attractiveness Factors

One of the key criteria covered in the Randstad Award study are the attractiveness factors. This section breaks down the most important aspects that jobseekers look for when selecting a new organization.

It is no surprise that the top 5 attractiveness factors have not changed drastically over the past few years – candidates’ expectations and motivations have remained pretty much the same every year. However a more in-depth analysis uncovered some interesting facts:

• Money talks

Salary has been consistently ranked the number one most important factor since the start of the Randstad Award in Singapore in 2012. Each year, between 63% to 71% of respondents have voted salary as the Top 5 most important aspect.

• Work-life balance gaining traction

Work-life balance has risen significantly in terms of ranking, from 32% to 54% between 2012 and 2015 to take the second spot in the Randstad Award Top 10 Attractiveness Factors.

According to the Bureau of Labour Statistics, Millennials are now the largest generation in the workforce. This generation of employees tends to have their own perspective of what office life should look like and attractiveness factors ranking reinforces this mindset shift, with the increasing focus on work-life balance.

• Job security and company’s financial health deemed less attractive

The growth of Millennials in the workforce may also have led to a decreasing focus on attractiveness factors such as job security (dropped from 61% to 44%) and financial health of the organization (dropped from 55% to 36%).

This could be due to the fact that the average tenure of Millennials is typically around two years, which means they are essentially placing less importance on factors such as long term job tenure and the financial health of organizations when looking for a new job.

Randstad Award Singapore Winners: Past and Present

Between 2012 and 2014, Singapore Airlines remained the number one most attractive company in Singapore. As a winner for three years in a row, Singapore Airlines was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015, the highest and most prestigious accolade handed out in the Randstad Award. As a Hall of Fame inductee, Singapore Airlines will be able to participate in the Randstad Award again in 2017.

Over the years, the Most Attractive Employer award has been hotly contested by some of Singapore’s largest organisations. The following companies have been regularly ranked in Top 3 spots for Randstad Award since 2012:

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