Virgin Australia named most attractive employers at Randstad Awards

HALF of all Australians say they would want to work at this company, which has just been named the nation’s most attractive employer.

Australia’s best places to work

HALF of all Australians say they would want to work at Virgin Australia, which was named the country’s most attractive employer by recruitment firm Randstad at an awards show in Sydney last night.

Virgin scored highly in having a pleasant working atmosphere, a good work-life balance and strong management in the Randstad Awards, based on responses from more than 12,000 Australians of working age.

The ABC and the Department of Immigration and Border Protection were named the second and third most attractive employers, while Qantas won the Youth Award for most attractive employer for younger generations.

Overall, the aviation sector was named the most attractive sector to work in, with 45 per cent of Australians saying they would like to work for aviation companies.

Randstad Australia CEO Frank Ribout said Virgin, which has placed in the top three for the last five years and took out the top spot in 2011, should be extremely proud. “The Virgin brand is widely recognised around the world and by people from all walks of life,” he said.

“For the past few years, Virgin Australia has been recognised as one of the best employers in Australia so it’s testament to the company’s continued investment towards building its employer brand that this year it has taken the highest accolade.”

Geraldine Chin Moody, group executive of people, culture and sustainability at Virgin Australia, accepted the award on behalf of Virgin Australia.

“Our people have been key to the successful transformation of the airline over the past few years, and this award is testament to their outstanding professionalism and dedication to excellence,” she said.

“Our focus is on supporting our team to actively manage their careers and develop to their full potential. Our people get opportunities to be involved in our transformational projects and build their skills internally.”

National Australia Bank was named the most attractive employer in the banking and financial services sector, beating ANZ and Westpac, while Hewlett Packard (HP) won in the information and communication technology sector, ahead of Fujitsu and Optus.

“With the increasing war for talent in Australia and around the world, employer branding is only becoming more important,” Mr Ribout said.

“Organisations need to remember to not only attract those who are actively job seeking, but the passive jobseekers, people who would sit up and take notice of the position available in your organisation because of the strength and attractiveness of your employer brand. And in today’s online environment, your digital footprint can mean the difference between winning and losing potential quality people.”

The Randstad Awards are based on public perception — employers are unable to nominate themselves. Interviews were conducted online between September 8 and December 23, 2014.

TOP 20 MOST ATTRACTIVE ORGANISATIONS

1. Virgin Australia

2. ABC

3. Department of Immigration & Border Protection

4. Seven Network

5. Qantas

6. Nestle

7. Wesfarmers (Coles, KMART, Target and Bunnings)

8. Coca-Cola Amatil

9. Department of Defence

10. Department of Health

11. Australian Federal Police

12. HP (Hewlett Packard)

13. GHD

14. BAE Systems

15. Toyota

16. Westfield

17. BHP

18. National Disability Insurance Agency

19. Rio Tinto

20. Mondelez (Cadbury, Vegemite, Philadelphia)

TOP 10 MOST ATTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES

1. Aviation

2. FMCG

3. Mining & natural resources

4. Design engineering

5. State and Federal Government

6. Media

7. Professional services

8. Banking & Financial Services

9. Retail

10. Information & Communication Technology (ICT)