Randstad names the top employers in Singapore for 2023

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has been voted the Most Attractive Employer in 2023 by 2,753 locally-based respondents in an independent survey commissioned by Randstad Singapore.

This is the 6th time the company won over the hearts of employees and job seekers in Singapore in 12 years of employer brand research in Singapore. The last time SIA claimed pole position was in 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic, Randstad said.

SIA is also the first and only employer to be inducted into the Randstad Employer Brand Hall of Fame for being the most-voted company consecutively from 2012 to 2014. The company returned to the Most Attractive Employer ranking from 2018 onwards.

Jaya Dass, MD of Permanent Recruitment at Randstad Asia Pacific said: "We would like to congratulate all the winners for being the most attractive companies to work for in Singapore. No matter your ranking this year, it is a remarkable achievement that reflects your hard work and dedication in creating work that feels good for your employees and the workforce at large. These companies have set a high standard, especially amid a competitive hiring environment, where employers have to constantly innovate and adapt to the evolving market conditions and changing talent expectations.

"This year’s winners have demonstrated what it takes to stand out and appeal to the best and brightest in a dynamic environment. We commend them for their employer branding excellence and look forward to partnering with them to engage and attract talent.”

2023 Randstad Employer Brand Awards

- Singapore Airlines

- Danaher Corporation

- Changi Airport Group

- Pratt & Whitney

- Edwards Lifesciences

- Marina Bay Sands

- Procter & Gamble

- Dyson

- DBS

- ExxonMobil

Goh Choon Phong, CEO, Singapore Airlines said, “We are grateful for our outstanding colleagues, who dedicate themselves to offering the best possible travel experience to our customers every single day. This recognition from Randstad validates the SIA Group’s longstanding commitment to attract and retain talent in Singapore and around the world. We know that the SIA Group can only remain competitive and resilient in a dynamic operating environment by offering our people a meaningful and rewarding career, taking care of their wellbeing, and prioritising their growth and development.”

Companies in the survey were rated on their relative employer brand awareness and attractiveness. The top attractiveness score was 69.15 out of a maximum of 100, which is 9.49 higher than the previous year.Compared to 2022, Danaher Corporation improved the most in attractiveness score, gaining 13.05 points in a year. Two other companies that have recorded more than 10-point gain in a year are Changi Airport Group and ExxonMobil, increasing their scores by 10.84 and 10.86 respectively.

Both Danaher Corporation and ExxonMobil are the new entrants in this year’s top 10 most attractive companies to work for in Singapore. Jai S. Krishnan, President for High Growth Markets at Danaher said, “We are truly humbled by this recognition, which reflects the passion and commitment of Danaher colleagues in Singapore and the region to serve our customer needs. Our success also would not be possible without the world-class innovation, science and business ecosystem that Singapore provides. At Danaher, our associates (employees) are inspired every day to constantly improve our work and fulfil our purpose of Helping Realize Life’s Potential.”

The relative employer brand awareness and attractiveness scores are also measured at the industry level. Out of the 10 industries in the voting, the life sciences sector was ranked top with 59.2 points out of a maximum of 100, making it the most attractive sector to work for in Singapore. The industry recorded a 6.4 point increase from 2022.

The top three most attractive industries to work for in Singapore this year are life sciences, hospitality and recreation, and services, which includes security, facilities and catering. The semiconductor manufacturing sector recorded the best improvement, as their year-on-year attractiveness score increased from 39.2 to 49.3.

The 2023 Randstad Employer Brand Research provides employers with a unique opportunity to uncover new insights and validate their assumptions of employees and job seekers. Randstad said this independent research is the most representative employer brand study in the world, reaching out to 163,000 respondents across 32 markets, including 2,753 who are based in Singapore in January 2023.

Randstad's 2023 top 20 employers for Singapore released

Randstad Singapore has announced the top 20 most attractive employers in Singapore* ahead of its 12th annual Employer Brand Awards.

The top 20 most attractive employers for Singapore in 2023, in alphabetical order are:

Bytedance

CapitaLand

Changi Airport Group

Danaher Corporation (New in 2023)

DBS

Dyson

Edwards Lifesciences

Emerson Asia Pacific (New in 2023)

ExxonMobile (New in 2023)

IBM

InterContinental Hotels Group (New in 2023)

JP MorganChase (New in 2023)

Marina Bay Sands

Medtronic

Pratt and Whitney

Procter & Gamble

Resorts World Sentosa

SHELL

Singapore Airlines

UBS

Jaya Dass, MD, Permanent Recruitment at Randstad Asia Pacific said: “The world of work has changed significantly since 2020, and so have talent expectations. The pandemic, social movements and technological advancements as well as environmental challenges have altered the way people think about their careers, well-being and values. To attract and retain the best talent in this new social contract, employers have to evolve and adapt to their changing needs and aspirations.

"At Randstad, we are committed to being your trusted partner in finding the skilled and talented people you need to drive your business forward. At the same time, we stand with job seekers in Singapore throughout their working lives to help them find meaningful work that feels good.”

The winners of Randstad Singapore’s 2023 Employer Brand Awards will be announced in July 2023. The last awards were held in 2019. Between 2020 and 2022, Randstad Singapore took a hiatus from announcing the results of the Employer Brand Awards due to the global COVID-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine War.

*The annual Randstad Employer Brand Research is an independent study commissioned by Randstad and conducted by Kantar TNS. This year, 2,753 locally-based employees and job seekers were surveyed in Singapore in January.

The study measures brand awareness and brand attractiveness of commercial companies, and respondents are required to rate the organisations on 10 employee value proposition drivers such as ‘attractive salary and benefits’, ‘work-life balance’ and ‘career progression opportunities’.

Avanade named a top employer in Malaysia, Singapore

Avanade, the Microsoft solutions provider, has been recognised as a 2023 Top Employer in Malaysia and Singapore by the Top Employers Institute.

Source: Avanade. Kapoor.

The Top Employers Institute Programme certifies organisations based on the participation and results of their Human Resources (HR) Best Practices Survey. The survey saw Avanade recognised for its outstanding standards in every assessment category, including: People Strategy, Work Environment, Talent Acquisition, Learning, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Wellbeing and more.

The programme has certified and recognised 2,052 Top Employers in 121 countries/regions across five continents. 

Bhavya Kapoor, Avanade’s Southeast Asia MD said: “At Avanade, everything we do is driven by our purpose to make a genuine human impact. We believe in doing what matters for our people and the ecosystem – and I’m thrilled that we’re recognised as a Top Employer 2023 in Malaysia and Singapore. As we continue to expand and become the destination for top talent in Southeast Asia, we remain committed towards creating a people-centric culture and environment that provide distinctive experiences, limitless learning opportunities, foster human connections and fuel bold ambitions.”

Top Employers Institute CEO David Plink noted: “Exceptional times bring out the best in people and organisations. And we have witnessed this in our Top Employers Certification Programme this year: exceptional performance from the certified Top Employers 2023. These employers have always shown that they care for the development and wellbeing of their people. By doing so, they collectively enrich the world of work.”

Aon names Aon Best Employers Singapore 2017

- Engagement scores for Aon Best Employers increased by two points to 82% this year

- Aon Best Employers lead the way in employer brands with perception scores ranging from 83% to 92% across employee tenure

- Five special recognitions announced, with a Best Employer for Startups named for the first time

Source: Aon. Aon Best Employers Singapore 2017.

Aon, a leading global professional services firm providing a broad range of risk, retirement, and health solutions, has named six organisations as Best Employers Singapore 2017.

Engagement scores for Aon Best Employers increased by two points to 82% this year. With the market average falling by three points to 60%, Best Employers are further ahead than the market compared to last year.

Higher engagement levels are a direct result of an enhanced work experience for employees, Aon said. Eight in 10 Aon Best Employers enable a high performance culture (20 points higher than market average; 81% provide their employees with better infrastructure (23 points higher than market average); and 85% offer more opportunities for collaboration (21 points higher than market average).

While Best Employer CEOs named Operational/Organisational Efficiency and Effectiveness as well as Market Factors as the top two challenges impacting the organisation's ability to succeed, CEOs of other participating organisations chose Market Factors and People Issues. This demonstrates the importance of having the right talent strategy in place, which will in turn, bring about a more productive workforce that delivers business results.

The Aon Best Employers in Singapore for 2017 are:

Organisation	Category
DBS Bank	Best of the Best Employers
American Express International	Best Employer Singapore
DHL Express Singapore	Best Employer Singapore
FedEx Express Singapore	Best Employer Singapore
OCBC Bank	Best Employer Singapore
The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore	Best Employer Singapore

In addition, five organisations received special recognition:

Organisation	Category
CashShield	Best Employer for Startups
The Lo and Behold Group	Best Employer for Small & Medium Enterprises
SUN-DAC	Best Employer for Social Service Organisations
Far East Organization's Corporate Real Estate Business Group	Best Employer for Commitment to Engagement
American Express International	Best Employer for Generation Y

American Express, DHL Express Asia Pacific, and FedEx Express Asia Pacific were recognised as Regional Best Employers 2017 for Asia Pacific, after being named Aon Best Employers in at least three other markets across the region such as Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, New Zealand, Taiwan, and Thailand. 

Marriott International, Singapore and InterContinental Hotels Group, Singapore were also named Best Employers Singapore 2017 through the Global programme.

Vikas Verma, Principal, Talent and Performance, Aon Hewitt, said: "The digital era is opening up a great opportunity to seamlessly listen to employees across the talent life cycle in order to provide the promised people experience. However, this transition to continuous listening is not about another technology implementation. It's a paradigm shift in listening and responding to employee experiences in near-real-time. For this to positively influence employee engagement, organisations must drive more empowerment and development of their people managers - as we see in this year's Aon Best Employers Singapore."

Jeremy Andrulis, CEO Southeast Asia, Aon Hewitt, added: "HR makes many decisions every day, both tactical and strategic, and they add up to create an overall employee experience and impact the value delivered to business. The Aon Best Employers programme gives organisations a clear view of where they stand in the market when it comes to employee engagement, leadership, employer brand, and culture to drive performance - and with access to this data and insights, HR can make better people decisions that achieve organisational goals while meeting employee expectations."

Aon Best Employers is a flagship programme designed to improve employee engagement, leadership effectiveness, employer brand, and culture to drive high performance. It is the most credible and comprehensive survey of its kind in Asia Pacific and Middle East. The survey leverages on Aon Hewitt's professional three-tier assessment tools and includes participants from a variety of industries including finance, food and beverage, hospitality, pharmaceutical, and more. Now in its 17th year, the Aon Best Employers programme runs across 14 markets in APACMEA: Australia, mainland China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Middle East, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand.

Singapore Computer Society unveils 2017 10 Best Tech Companies to Work For

Singapore Computer Society (SCS), the nation’s largest body for infocomm and digital media professionals, has announced the winners of the Best Tech Company to Work For Award at its annual conference, the Tech³ Forum.

The award recognises four of the 10 Best Tech Companies to Work For as overall winners for their implementation of innovative practices and their demonstrated workplace excellence in the infocomm and digital media (ICM) industry.

This year’s Best Tech Company Award ceremony was graced by the Minister of Manpower, Lim Swee Say, and attended by more than 200 senior professionals from the public and private sectors. In his speech, the Minister shared how Singapore is ahead of the curve in driving innovation in the ICT sector. He also praised the 10 best tech companies for providing inclusive opportunities to Singaporeans, and valuing talent based on their skills, helping to drive industry growth.

In its second instalment, the Best Tech Company to Work For Award aims to honour the best infocomm and media workplaces and inculcate a strong people culture across the industry. Nominations were assessed by an independent panel of judges, represented by both public and private sectors in the industry.

Howie Lau, President, Singapore Computer Society, said, “The success of the 10 best tech companies to work for is a testament to the importance of investing in human capital in the midst of a digital revolution. We hope that this award will inspire other technology companies to join us in creating a strong people culture across the industry.”

Standing out from a pool of nominations, the winning companies demonstrated outstanding performance on five criteria: Inspiring people culture, spirit of innovation, financial sustainability, people management and human resource policy. The 10 best tech companies to work for in Singapore are:

• Accenture

10 Best Tech Companies to Work For 2017

Accenture is a leading global professional services company providing services and solutions in strategy consulting, digital, technology and operations. In a video celebrating Accenture's win, staff spoke of access to the latest technologies and their dedication to build future technology leaders through hands-on learning.

Winning qualities

• Strong team spirit, with passion and pride displayed by everyone

• Revolutionary performance management system accompanied with solid mentorship programme, where the bell curve distribution is removed and each individual is assessed by their mentor and not direct boss

• Promotes a learning culture with digital, social and mobile learning materials available at all levels

• Carousell 

Winner – Small Organisations/Startups category

10 Best Tech Companies to Work For 2017

Carousell created a marketplace that makes it easy for preloved items to find new homes. Its goal is to become the No. 1 mobile classifieds marketplace in all markets. A video of Carousell's employees reflected the company's open culture, which is focused on problem solving. "The people here are very driven to solve problems for our customers," said one employee.

Winning qualities

• Great mission and vision for social impact - ability to humanise their mission stories

• Significant time and effort spent in the hiring process to find the right hire to fit into the culture

• Strong culture and great vibes in the office, with the ability to attract good talent

• EON Reality 

10 Best Tech Companies to Work For 2017

EON Reality is the world leader in virtual and augmented reality (AR)-based knowledge transfer for industry and education. The company aims to make knowledge available, affordable, and accessible for everyone. Staff shared in the video profiling Eon Reality that they are exposed to lots of new technology and are constantly learning.

Winning qualities

• Leaders are sincere and people-oriented

• Excites employees on the huge potential of AR for applications in education, healthcare, smart city planning

• Transparent corporate culture and staff are trusted and empowered

• IBM Singapore

10 Best Tech Companies to Work For 2017

IBM is a globally integrated technology and consulting company. The company is focused on helping organisations embark on their cognitive journeys, built on a strong foundation of cloud, big data and analytics, and security. According to a video on IBM, people form the heartware of the organisation, and use IBM technology to help businesses grow. "We work together and grow together to become business partners, it's like a friendship formed," said one staff.

Winning qualities

• Sense of sincerity and authenticity among the leadership team

• Prides itself as a company that is essential and socially relevant

• Open workspaces that encourage collaboration

• Razer
Joint winner – Large Organisations/ MNCs category

Razer is the leading lifestyle brand for gamers. Its mission is to be the world’s greatest brand for gamers. "We are always one team, we're always bigger than ourselves as a person," said Min-Liang Tan, Razer CEO, on video. "We play hard, and we play fair."

In her acceptance speech, Patricia Liu, Chief Customer Officer, Razer, said that the company is "made up of gamers who design and make products for gamers". "We constantly ask ourselves what kind of environment do gamers need to be phenomenal and that's the approach that we take to design our workplace and our culture," she said.

Winning qualities

• Inspiring and charismatic leader

• Appealing to young working adults, especially gamers

• Puts in sincere efforts to groom local talent  

• Red Hat Asia Pacific

Joint winner – Large Organisations/ MNCs category

10 Best Tech Companies to Work For 2017

Red Hat is the world's leading provider of open source software solutions. Its mission is to be the catalyst in communities of customers, contributors, and partners, creating better technology the open source way. Red Hat has translated open source principles into principles that connect business success to personal growth, staff said in the accompanying video. The company has a cross-department mentorship programme, for example.

Richard Koh, Country Manager, Singapore, Red Hat, said the win recognises the open source culture all Red Hatters live and breathe daily. "We're an open organisation, we firmly believe in meritocracy," he said. "All Red Hatters are given equal opportunities."

Koh also brought up 'kampong spirit', where villagers would pitch in to help each other, to recognise the efforts of others. "By working together we can actually make the infocomm industry a lot more vibrant and an attractive destination for talent," he said.

Winning qualities

• Strong sense of identity amongst employees, shown by the low staff turnover rate and high Glassdoor rating

• Openness, transparency and innovation is embedded in the company DNA

• Emphasis on training, and sets aside a generous training budget for external training programmes

• ST Electronics (Info-Comm Systems)

10 Best Tech Companies to Work For 2017

ST Electronics is a leading info-communication technology solutions provider in Asia delivering solutions in intelligent transportation, public safety and security, smart infocommunications technology (ICT) infrastructure, cyber security and defence. ST Electronics (Info-Comm Systems) has many HR initiatives to attract and retain staff, shared employees in an associated video. There is a 'work hard and play harder' spirit at the company, they said.

Winning qualities

• Strong family-friendly and Singapore kampong-spirit culture

• Well-structured HR programmes that attract and retain both the young and matured working professionals

• Encourages innovation and provides seed funding to try worthy ideas

• Tableau Asia Pacific

10 Best Tech Companies to Work For 2017

Tableau is on a mission to help people see and understand their data. "High energy, vibrant and dynamic" were adjectives used by Tableau staff to describe themselves.

Winning qualities

• High energy and dynamic workforce with cool workspace

• Empowering staff (even non-IT staff) to use Tableau's own products for data analytics to generate meaningful and impactful businesses

• Appealing to young working adults (both IT and non-IT)

• Tinkerbox Studios

10 Best Tech Companies to Work For 2017

Tinkerbox Studios is a design and development studio on a mission to build innovative products that changes lives for the better. The company has code reviews which give feedback on how they can improve the quality of their software. "For me it's like a family," one staff said on video.

Winning qualities

• Promotes a strong culture of learning and experimentation, eg. TinkerThursday for dinner as a team in the office to share ideas.

• Great talent development programme and strong sense of mission and dedication to train a good pool of developers for the better of the industry, eg. the intern was so impressed with the coding standards that he joined the company after graduation.

• Emphasis on peer code reviewing to enhance quality of the codes, which further demonstrates their commitment to culture of quality codes and peer support.

    

• Titansoft 
Winner – Mid-sized Organisations category

10 Best Tech Companies to Work For 2017

Titansoft is a software development and consultancy company specialising in gaming and entertainment. Its vision is to empower customers to become global leaders in their respective industries. Titansoft's motto is to never stop improving. The company has striven to create an environment which is very open, one where staff can learn something new every day.

The company has a unique self-promotion model, in which staff initiate the process to promote themselves when they think they are ready. They first undergo self-assessment, then a technical assessment followed by a panel interview. In the accompanying video, an employee from Titansoft said the company is "creating an environment I actually want to work with."

Winning qualities

• Daring and advanced in implementing latest thinking in human resources and organisation development (HR & OD) practices, eg. Self-promotion and self-organising agile development teams

• Open and transparent culture that values bottom-up initiatives, e.g. When the self-promotion idea was suggested by the Technical Manager and not HR

• Highly committed workforce that is empowered and serious with their self-development and peer reviews

“Our vision is of an inclusive ecosystem in which Singaporeans can maximise the use of the resources available, and fully access to all opportunities in the industry. It is made possible thanks to the support from our partners, including Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), Workforce Singapore (WSG) and e2i (Employment and Employability Institute),” Lau said.

The Best Tech Company to Work For Award is a manifestation of the collaboration between industry partners to support ICM professionals and drive industry development.

“Singapore is in the middle of the most dynamic region in the world that is rapidly digitalising, and our infocomm and media sector is well-positioned to benefit from this growth. To do so, companies will need to be at the forefront of adopting policies and practices to attract and retain talent in this industry. IMDA is pleased to honour the achievements of the companies awarded with the Best Tech Company to Work For Award, which celebrates the spirit of innovation, the creativity and passion of our people, as we work towards building a digital economy,” said Tan Kiat How, Chief Executive, Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).

Tan Choon Shian, Chief Executive, WSG said, “In this changing manpower landscape, it is critical for employers to put in place progressive human capital practices and take greater ownership in grooming talents for the future, to enhance their competitiveness. I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the award winners, and I hope more companies will emulate these role models and adopt progressive human capital practices to develop and retain their employees.”

In addition to the award, SCS has also partnered e2i to co-organise an Infocomm Technology Career Fair which will run from August to September. “e2i has been working with industry partners to enable ICM professionals to stay updated and deepen their competencies through training, networking and masterclasses. We have also initiated integrated career fairs to improve job matching. As tripartite partners, e2i is committed to work with SCS to provide enhanced career support for ICM professionals and companies on skills development and job placement,” the CEO of e2i Gilbert Tan said.

More details about the Information Technology Career Fair will be announced in August.

SCS has over 31,000 members. Established in 1967, the society serves as a key platform for professionals to network with established practitioners, advance their careers, and sharpen their skills and knowledge in order to stay ahead of the latest trends and best practices in the infocomm and digital media industries.

Source: SCS. From left: Howie Lau, President, Singapore Computer Society; Tan Choon Shian, Chief Executive, Workforce Singapore (WSG); Andrew Chow, President, ST Electronics (Info-Comm Systems); Sam Liew, MD, Technology, ASEAN, Accenture; Lum Seow Khun, Director, Sales & Transformation, IBM Singapore; Marcus Tan, Co-Founder & President, Carousell; Patricia Liu, Chief Customer Officer, Razer; Lim Swee Say, Minister for Manpower; Richard Koh, Country Manager, Singapore, Red Hat (wearing red hat); Wong Yew Choy, Director of Titansoft; Khoong Hock Yun, Chief Digital Evangelist, Infocomm Media Development Authority; Gilbert Tan, CEO, e2i (Employment and Employability Institute); Kelvin Tham, COO & Co-Founder, Tinkerbox Studios; Sridhar Sunkad; MD, EON Reality and Cherilyn Tay, Territory Development Manager, Tableau.

*SCS defined the three categories as large organisations or multinational companies (MNCs), mid-sized organisations (SMEs) of 50 to 200 employees, and startups or small parties with up to five years of incorporation, or fewer than 50 employees. Nominations began in September 2016, and the evaluation process included site visits, and employee interaction sessions.

The top five companies Singaporeans want to work for

JobStreet.com has revealed through its annual Top Companies of the Year survey that Singapore Airlines; Changi Airport Group; DBS Bank; CapitaLand; and Singapore Technologies Engineering are the five most coveted employers in Singapore.

Curated from JobStreet.com’s annual Top Companies Survey which consulates responses from over 1,200 Singaporeans, the above companies were recognised at JobStreet.com’s Top Companies Awards 2017 alongside the top 10 companies that Singaporeans want to work for:

1) Google
2) Facebook
3) Apple
4) Singapore Airlines
5) Microsoft
6) Shell
7) Changi Airport Group
8) ExxonMobil
9) Procter & Gamble; DBS Bank
10) IBM

Facebook moved up two notches from last year’s rankings to second. “The company focuses on the strengths of their employees, based on what they love doing, what they are great at, and what Facebook needs. For instance, a few initiatives are put in place to emphasise work-life integration such as Health@Challenge, bring your family to work day and pivot career conversations. The company also encourages flexible work scheduling which lets employees adjust their work hours or days according to their personal priorities whenever reasonable. Its unique Builder culture and management approach also help to push the boundaries for positive change, where employees regularly gather to 'hack' problems, create new ideas and continuously improve the products they are building,” says Sarita Peng, Head of Staffing, APAC, Facebook.

One of the leaders in Singapore’s energy industry and in sixth place is Shell, which has progressive policies in place to create an inclusive workplace and demonstrate care for its employees and their families. Recognising that every young family has different needs, Shell’s flexi-working scheme provides a range of options (e.g. flexible hours, compressed workweeks, part-time work and job sharing) to help working mothers re-integrate back to working life after maternity leave.

Yeo Li Tiang and Wang Chang Ching are among employees at Shell who have benefitted from flexible work arrangements. Both of them are young mothers. After taking sabbatical leave and a career break to care for their families, Yeo and Wang have since returned to Shell as Regional Finance Managers on a job-share arrangement that they proposed and customised themselves. This arrangement has worked out well for them and Shell for the last three years. Yeo attributes one of the success factors to the values of trust, respect and inclusiveness, which are deeply rooted in Shell’s work culture.

“In recent years, we also see more and more local companies put in extra efforts to develop and further strengthen their human resource strategies. Therefore, we are excited to recognise and award top local companies for their efforts to build exemplary workplaces. More than just a job search portal, JobStreet.com recognises its role in solving human resource challenges, and wants to help talents find jobs that make them happy. Our insightful surveys and innovative job search systems also help companies review their corporate cultures and streamline their recruitment operations,” says Chew Siew Mee, Country Sales Manager for JobStreet.com Singapore.

Another organisation of world-class reputation is Changi Airport. Changi Airport was named the world’s best airport at the 2017World Airport Awards for the fifth time.

“As an employer, we are committed to keep our employees motivated and engaged. We focus on offering opportunities for growth, meaningful work, as well as creating a sense of pride and belonging,” says Justina Tan, MD, People, Changi Airport Group.

Aon Hewitt’s leading employer in Asia, DBS, has the ability to empower its employees to have fulfilling careers. “We want to create a great workplace where employees feel connected and valued, while progressing in their journey with DBS. Our holistic suite of people initiatives help to equip our staff to be the best, be the change and be the difference that they can be, at every stage of their lives,” says James Loo, Executive Director, Group HR, Talent Acquisition Group, DBS Bank.

According to JobStreet.com’s 2016 Job Happiness Index, more than half of Singaporean employees are unhappy at work. Such sentiments eventually lead to short job tenures and a high turnover rate. According to the Top Companies of the Year survey, what employees consider when choosing a company include:

1. Career development opportunities; basic salary;
2. Calibre of management and leadership team;
3. Work environment as well as culture.

JobStreet.com says that Singaporean employees are well educated and discerning, and they want to ensure that as they chart new life milestones, their careers advance as well. They want to feel that their work is impactful and meaningful, and they achieve this by taking on more responsibilities. This is especially true for Millennials. With the high costs of living in Singapore, it is understandable that employees want a basic salary commensurate with their qualifications.

Finally, talents look for strong leadership, JobStreet.com said. They want to work for management teams that can help them soar higher, and they want to be associated with reputable brands.

JobStreet.com is an online job board presently covering the employment markets in Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam. JobStreet.com currently services over 230,000 corporate hirers and over 15 million jobseekers in its database.

posted from Bloggeroid

CEOs have to take charge of reskilling their workforces: Accenture

Source: Accenture website. The top skills required to stay relevant at work in the next five years include technical skills, adaptability and problem-solving capabilities.

A new report* by Accenture Strategy cautions that in a rapidly changing digital landscape, CEOs must lead the charge in reskilling their people to be relevant in the future and ready to adapt to change.

According to the report, Harnessing Revolution: Creating the Future Workforce, CEOs must put their people first and at the centre of change to create the future workforce.

The stakes are high for businesses, workers and society as a whole. Development of human skills such as leadership, critical thinking and creative skills, as well as emotional intelligence, would reduce job losses due to total automation considerably. The survey of 10,527 working people in ten countries, including Australia, India, Japan and Turkey, coupled with Accenture Strategy modelling show that if the rate at which workers build relevant skills is doubled, the share of jobs at risk of total automation would be reduced.

“Paradoxically, the truly human skills, from leadership to creativity, will remain highly relevant and winning organisations will strike the right balance — leveraging the best of technology to elevate, not eliminate their people,” said Ellyn Shook, Chief Leadership and Human Resources Officer, Accenture. “Not only are workers optimistic, but they understand they must learn new skills. Digital can accelerate learning by embedding training seamlessly into daily work — so learning becomes a way of life — helping workers and organisations remain relevant.”

Fully 84% of workers surveyed are optimistic about the impact of digital on their job. More than two-thirds think that technologies such as robots, data analytics and artificial intelligence will help them be more efficient (74%), learn new skills (73%) and improve the quality of their work (66%).

Eighty-seven percent of these working people expect parts of their job to be automated in the next five years, ranging from 93% of Millennials to 79% of baby boomers. Of those who expect automation, 80% anticipate more opportunities than challenges in how automation will impact their work experiences in the next five years.

Additional Accenture research shows that artificial intelligence alone has the potential to double the annual economic growth rates and boost labour productivity by up to 40% by 2035 in the 12 developed countries examined.

Additionally, the values of today’s workforce will require leaders to respond with a different range of rewards, benefits and support. According to modelling undertaken by Accenture Strategy and Gallup, non-financial factors, such as well-being, engagement, quality of life and status are equal, if not more important to workers than income and benefits.

“Creating the future workforce now is the responsibility of every CEO. Those leaders who make their people a strategic business priority and understand the urgency of this challenge will be the ones that make the greatest gains in growth and innovation,” said Mark Knickrehm, Group Chief Executive, Accenture Strategy.

To help leaders navigate and shape the future workforce, Accenture Strategy has the following recommendations:

· Accelerate reskilling: From top to bottom, invest in technical and more human skills involving creativity and judgment, taking advantage of the fact that 85% of workers are ready to invest their free time in the next six months to learn new skills.

Scale reskilling by using digital technology. This can include wearable technologies, such as smart glasses that provide technical advice and information as workers carry out tasks. It can also include intelligent software to personalise training that offers recommendations to support an individual’s lifelong learning needs.

· Redesign work to unlock human potential: Co-create role-based, gig-like employment opportunities to satisfy workers’ demands for more varied work and flexible arrangements. Develop platforms through which a range of resources and services can be offered to employees and freelancers alike in order to create a compelling community that keeps top talent loyal.

· Strengthen the talent pipeline from its source: Address industry-wide skills shortages by supporting longer term, collective solutions. These include public private partnerships designed to create a broad adoption of skills training. Work with the education sector to design curricula that develop relevant skills at the beginning of the talent supply chain.

*Accenture combined quantitative and qualitative research techniques in order to analyse how responsive and responsible leadership could help create the future workforce. The research programme is built on three pillars of a survey, econometric modelling and an index, complemented by secondary research and interviews with experts from universities, startups, large corporations and government organisations.

The online survey was conducted in the US, Brazil, UK, France, Germany, Australia, Italy, India, Japan and Turkey of 10,527 workers across skill levels and generations between November 26 and December 9, 2016.

Hilton is one of the top three hospitality employers in Greater China

Source: Hilton. Hilton won the Best Hospitality Company to Work For award in Greater China.

Hilton has been named one of the top three companies to work for in Greater China by global research and consulting firm Great Place To Work Institute, for the second consecutive year. Hilton is also the top-ranking hospitality company on the 2016 list. In addition, 51job Inc, an integrated HR solutions provider, has named Hilton one of China's top 100 employers and also honoured Hilton with an Excellent Campus Recruitment Strategy award.

"We work hard to be an employer of choice that fosters a high performance culture and creates meaningful opportunities for our team members," said Brendan Toomey, VP, Human Resource, Asia Pacific, Hilton "By offering great careers, great rewards and a great environment, we have been able to support our expansion in China by continuing to attract, develop and retain top talent. We recognize that our team members are the heart of Hilton, who provide the world-class service for which Hilton is known and who help achieve our goal of being the most hospitable company in the world."

Great Place to Work Institute's annual list of Best Companies to Work For identifies the best workplaces and celebrates the companies with the best talent management programmes and workplace cultures. As part of its rigorous methodology, Great Place to Work evaluates the programmes and practices of participating companies, while gathering employee feedback through an in-depth survey, focusing on the credibility of the management, the respect that employees feel they are given, the extent to which employees expect to be treated fairly, the level of pride employees have in what they do, as well as the camaraderie they experience at work. This year, 137 companies in Greater China were evaluated. Only 30 made it to the shortlist.

51job Inc's Employer Excellence awards recognise the top 100 companies in China whose HR practices have contributed significantly to their development. After an initial screening of hundreds of thousands of companies, 206 were selected for further evaluation. 51job Inc's criteria included the companies' growth plans, financial results, HR strategy, and the proportion of Millennials in their workforce, as well as wages and promotions, achievements in talent attraction and development, corporate social responsibility practices and reputation.

Hilton was lauded for its best practices in recruitment, training, retention, and corporate social responsibility, which have helped to reinforce the company's position in the market. In 2014 and 2015, Hilton was included in 51job Inc's list of 100 Best Human Resource Management Companies. Hilton also won the Best e-Learning Development award in 2014 and the Best Human Resource Management Team award in 2015.

Salesforce is Singapore's No. 1 Best Place to Work

Source: Salesforce. The Salesforce Singapore team.

Salesforce Singapore was named Singapore’s Best Place To Work, clinching No. 1 spot in Great Place to Work’s Best Companies to Work for 2016 list.

The Best Workplaces in Asia list recognises organisations in Asia that are dedicated to sustaining a high-trust work culture and celebrates companies that are committed to providing strong, caring and innovative cultures that are distinguished by their extraordinary levels of trust, pride and camaraderie.

Accepting the award on behalf of Salesforce Singapore at the Best Companies to Work for ceremony on 7 November, Cecily Ng, Area VP, Enterprise Business Unit, Asia, Salesforce said: “We are proud and humbled that Salesforce has been voted the No. 1 Best Company to Work For in Singapore for the second year in a row. This award is a true testament to the talented and diverse people we have working in our Singapore team.”

The Salesforce culture is rooted in the spirit of 'ohana' , which means ‘family’ in Hawaiian. Ohana represents the idea that families – related or chosen – are bound together, with its members feeling a sense of responsibility for one another. The #SalesforceOhana is the close-knit ecosystem of Salesforce employees, customers, partners and communities. Salesforce employees are personally committed to live the company values - trust, customer success, innovation, giving back, equality, wellness, transparency and fun – and to uphold the culture.

Salesforce was named No. 1 Best Company To Work For at the inaugural award in 2015, as well as No. 1 Best Place To Work in Asia Pacific and Middle East (SME Category) in 2015. It was also voted No. 1 Best Place to Work in Australia for 2016.

Aon Hewitt announces Aon Best Employers list for Singapore in 2016

• DBS Bank, OCBC Bank, and Far East Hospitality make the Aon Best Employers - Singapore list for the first time.
• National Kidney Foundation recognised in the newly-introduced special recognition category, Best Employer for Voluntary Welfare Organisation.
• Best Employers in Singapore led the way with a 27-point higher engagement score and with 2.1 times more highly engaged employees than market average.
• Best Employers in Singapore achieved 18% higher revenue and 11% higher profit than market average.

Aon Hewitt, the global talent, retirement and health solutions business of Aon, has named seven organisations as Aon Best Employers - Singapore 2016.

Source: Aon Hewitt. From left: Na Boon Chong, Senior Client Partner, 
South East Asia, Aon Hewitt with Aon Best Employers Singapore 2016.

In this year's challenging business environment, CEOs continue to identify rising salaries and a critical skills shortage as their top people risks in the market. This year, poor availability and selection of talent also arose as a top-three people risk.

Best Employers achieve 27 points higher engagement scores than the market average by standing out in three areas:

Career opportunities
Employees at Best Employers are 1.3 times more likely to feel their organisations offer excellent career opportunities compared to other strong performers in the market and industry.

Senior leadership
Employees at Best Employers are 1.2 times more likely to feel that senior leadership treats them as the organisation's most valuable asset.

Rewards and recognition
Employees at Best Employers are 1.3 times more likely to feel well-recognised and rewarded (beyond pay and benefits) for their efforts.

According to Aon Hewitt, Best Employers have four qualities:

High employee engagement

• Best Employers achieve engagement scores of 80% (market average, 63%).
• Eight in 10 (78%) of Gen Y employees at Best Employers feel confident of their future career opportunities in their organisation (market average, 55%).

Effective leadership

• Best Employers develop engaging leaders, with 100% of Best Employer organisations providing effective feedback on how leadership styles influence the team (market average, 68%)
• More than eight in 10 (86%) Best Employers have formal mentoring programmes to develop an effective leadership pipeline (market average, 54%).

Compelling employer brand

• Eight in 10 employees at Best Employers believe their organisation delivers on its promises (market average, 61%).
• Best Employers have great ambassadors, with 84% of employees saying they would recommend the organisation to someone looking for a job (market average, 65%)

High performance culture

• More than eight in 10 (86%) Best Employers integrate promotion-linked goals into performance management (market average, 54%).
• Seven in 10 (71%) Best Employers hold their managers accountable for their team' engagement levels by linking managers' performance ratings with employee engagement levels.

 The Aon Best Employers - Singapore 2016 are:

Organisation	Category
The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore	Best of the Best Employers
American Express Singapore	Best Employer - Singapore
DBS Bank	Best Employer - Singapore
DHL Express Singapore	Best Employer - Singapore
Far East Hospitality	Best Employer - Singapore
Mundipharma	Best Employer - Singapore
OCBC Bank	Best Employer - Singapore

Marriott International - Singapore is also named an Aon Best Employer - Singapore 2016 through the Global programme. In addition, American Express, DBS Bank, FedEx Express Asia Pacific, and The Ritz-Carlton Hotels and Resorts, Asia Pacific are recognised as Aon Regional Best Employers in Asia Pacific 2016.

Four special recognitions were also given out:

Organisation	Category
FedEx Express Singapore	Best Employer for Commitment to  Engagement
American Express Singapore	Best Employer for Generation Y
Berries World of Learning School (TCC)	Best Employer for Small Medium Enterprise
National Kidney Foundation	Best Employer for Voluntary Welfare  Organisation

Jeremy Andrulis, CEO Southeast Asia, Aon Hewitt, said: "Critical skills shortage and poor availability of talent are the top people issues faced by CEOs in Singapore today. Best Employers focus on enabling talent strategies to drive business results across the entire employee life cycle, from pre-recruitment to exit. This includes agile and rapid delivery of HR services via cloud-based solutions as well as using technology for continuous listening - or gathering feedback and taking action regularly."

Gitansh Malik, Regional Leader - Aon Best Employers Asia Programme, Aon Hewitt, said: "The average person spends 2.5 hours on mobile devices daily, and expects the same consumer-grade experience from their interactions with their employers as they do with their social networks. Through digital HR transformation, Best Employers are well-positioned to deliver an exceptional employee experience and drive engagement."

Aon Hewitt names Aon Best Employers -- Thailand 2016

• Best Employers in Thailand lead the way with 24 points higher engagement score than market average
• Gen Y (those born from 1979 to 1990) engagement scores are 22 points higher for Best Employers, compared to market average
• Almost nine in 10 (89%) of employees at Best Employers would recommend their company to someone seeking work, compared to the 68% market average
• Advanced Info Services named Best of the Best Employers

Aon Hewitt, the global talent, retirement and health solutions business of Aon, has named seven organisations as Aon Best Employers - Thailand 2016. Despite a challenging business environment, where 54% of CEOs identify people issues (which includes rising salaries, an inadequate leadership pipeline, and poor availability and selection of talent in the external labour market) as a critical business challenge, Best Employers in Thailand have proven to be leaders in driving employee engagement to accelerate business results. Best Employers achieve 51% higher profit than market average.

The Aon Best Employers in Thailand for 2016 are:

Advanced Info Services
Best of the Best Employers

Advanced Contact Center Company
Best Employer - Thailand

American Express (Thai) Company
Best Employer - Thailand

McThai Company
Best Employer - Thailand

Mitr Phol Sugar Factory
Best Employer - Thailand

Phyathai 3 Hospital Company
Best Employer - Thailand

Swensen's (Thai)
Best Employer - Thailand

Toyota Motor Thailand Company
Best Employer - Thailand

In addition, Mitr Phol Bio Fuel Company received special recognition as the Best Employer for Generation Y. Marriott International, Thailand was also named Aon Best Employers through the Global programme.

Dr Adisak Chandprapalert, Managing Director, Aon Hewitt Thailand, said: "CEOs consistently rank people issues as a top challenge in their ability to create business value. Through the Aon Best Employers programme, HR and business leaders can create real impact by focusing on talent outcomes throughout the employee life cycle."

Panuwat Benrohman, Partner, APACMEA Talent, Rewards & Performance, Aon Hewitt, added: "A significant part of driving employee engagement is delivering an exceptional employee experience all around. With users spending an average of 2.5 hours on their mobile devices daily, employees expect a consumer-grade experience from their interactions with their employers. Digital transformation in HR is no longer a luxury; it's a necessity - and Best Employers in Thailand are well-positioned to do that."

Associate Professor of Organization Behaviour Dr Siriyupa Roongrerngsuke, Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration of Chulalongkorn University, said: "Over Sasin's 15-year partnership with Aon Hewitt, there has been a quiet revolution in the market - with an increasing number of Thai organisations participating and being recognised as Aon Best Employers. Once again, this year, all Aon Best Employers in Thailand have truly proven to be leaders in driving employee engagement."

posted from Bloggeroid

UAE well-represented in LinkedIn's 100 Most InDemand employers for EMEA 2015

Source: LinkedIn blog.

LinkedIn has unveiled the 100 Most InDemand Employers for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa in 2015*. The rankings reflect the most sought-after organisations across the region and are calculated based on analysing billions of interactions between professionals and companies on LinkedIn, the company said in a blog post.

Nine of the top 100 hail from the UAE, the only Middle Eastern country to be mentioned. At No. 6 is Emirates, No. 15 Saudi Aramco, No. 20 is Etihad, Emaar is No. 27, and Etisalat at No. 30. Qatar Airways is No. 54, while the Jumeirah Group is No. 68. At No. 73 and 74 are the National Bank of Abu Dhabi and Mashreq Bank respectively. Dubai Islamic Bank is No. 79, and the luxury firm Chalhoub is ranked No. 98.

More than a quarter of the list (27%) are retail and consumer goods firms, with the next-most popular industry being oil and gas (18%). Technology firms were in third place, accounting for 15% of the list, but were well-represented in the top five with Apple, Google and Facebook at the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4 positions respectively.

Microsoft is at No. 14, Huawei Technologies is at No. 33, while Twitter comes in at No. 39. In 43rd place is Oracle, while Amazon and Yahoo are 55th and 56th respectively. Dell is No. 62, followed by Cisco at No. 63, Asos at No. 64, Airbnb at No. 71, Honeywell at No. 75, and Uber at No. 84. Adobe is No. 93, HP is No. 94, while EMC is at No. 95.

*The InDemand list takes into consideration:

• Member awareness of a company on LinkedIn (for example, how many members have viewed your employees’ profiles, or connected with them, in the past year)
•  Member engagement with a company on LinkedIn (for example, how many members follow your company’s Company Page or have viewed your Company Page or Career Page in the past year)
• Member interest in Jobs on LinkedIn (for example, how many members have viewed or applied for your jobs in the past year). This year LinkedIn added a new measurement: views or applications to a company’s jobs posted on LinkedIn, including limited listings.

Asian companies take feedback from exit interviews seriously

According to the latest Focus Asia white paper from international recruiter Robert Walters, the majority of organisations felt that honest feedback can be exchanged with formal or informal exit interviews, with seven out of ten organisations in Asia conducting them. 

The Acquiring Insights From The Exit Process To Build A Better Workplace report notes that making improvements to the business based on such insights could attract and retain high calibre professionals in the future.

The research surveyed over 1,200 professionals and hiring managers across mainland China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. The study examined the formal processes organisations conduct with exiting employees, and offers recommendations on how to glean valuable insights about a company’s culture, operations and management to implement positive changes.

Toby Fowlston, Managing Director of Robert Walters Singapore, said: “While the focus of the recruitment process is often on attracting the best professionals, giving the exit process enough consideration is equally as important. Many employers overlook the opportunities which exit interviews can present. If managed carefully, the exit process can be a way for employees to leave on a positive note or provide employers with the opportunity to make a counter offer. After all, every employee is an ambassador of the organisation even after leaving their jobs.”

Other findings include:

 Seven in 12 employees (58%) did not tell their employers of their unhappiness before starting a job search

 Almost two-thirds (63%) of employers who presented counter offers to resigning professionals were turned down

 Five in 12 professionals (42%) only disclosed their job search after they had signed the new employment contract

 Five out of six (85%) employers can identify employees on the verge of resignation

 Four in ten (44%) of professionals felt that their exit interview process was worthless

Click here to view the complete white paper.

Glassdoor's best employers for 2014 include many with Asian offices

Glassdoor, a community where people share salaries and inside information about their employers, released the results for its sixth annual Employees’ Choice Awards, honouring the 50 Best Places to Work, and new for 2014, the 50 Best Medium-Sized Companies to Work For.

Most of the companies and employees which use Glassdoor are based in the US, so feedback may not be quite the same in our region. Some of the companies which have won awards may not have a presence in Asia either, but many do. 

Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge

 Of the top ten employers with 1,000 or more employees, Bain was listed no. 1 with a 4.6 star rating out of a maximum of 5 stars. A Glassdoor user is quoted saying "Drive real changes to solve big problems, while learning a ton and having a clear career path." The company has 14 offices in the Asia Pacific region, Bangkok, Mumbai, Singapore and Tokyo among them.

In second place, Twitter. The company lists Singapore, Sydney, Seoul, and Tokyo among its international office locations, and Glassdoor gives it a 4.6-star rating as well.

LinkedIn is in third place, also with 4.6 stars. LinkedIn opened its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore in 2011. In Asia Pacific, LinkedIn has a presence in nine cities, Bangalore, Hong Kong and Melbourne among them. 

Google, which seems to be on every job-seeker's wishlist, is rated no. 8 on the list, with 4.3 stars, and Apple is ranked 35th with 3.8 stars. Both have Asian offices as well. Google is in 16 cities in Asia and the Pacific, from Australia to China, India, Malaysia and Thailand (and of course Singapore). Apple lists 547 jobs in 13 countries and territories in Asia Pacific at the time of writing, China, Hong Kong, Australia, Singapore and Japan among them. 

While the tech industry dominates in the top 10, there are companies from other industries as well. Travel conglomerate Orbitz Worldwide and Nestle Purina Petcare were ranked 9th and 10th respectively. 

Orbitz mentions a Sydney office on its website, and current job openings include vacancies in Bangalore, Sydney, Hong Kong and Malaysia. Nestle Purina Petcare's Asia, Oceania and Africa headquarters are in Sydney, Australia, while the Nestle group is present in 17 countries and territories in Asia Pacific, including China, Korea, Singapore and Vietnam.