Gold prospecting company Newcrest Mining has been named Australia’s most attractive employer for 2012, pipping the ABC and Virgin Australia to take out the top spot.
The second annual Randstad Awards saw the ABC and Virgin Australia take out second and third place respectively in front of senior executives and HR directors from 150 of Australia’s largest employers.
“With Australian employers vying for depleting talent pools in a challenging multi-speed economy, the significance of employer branding and the criteria which draw people to want to work for organisations should not be underestimated,” said Randstad CEO Fred van der Tang.
Over 7000 Australians of working age voted for this year’s local awards, which were given out on the basis of feedback from the general public, with companies unable to nominate themselves or determine categories or criteria for entry.
As well as first place, Newcrest Mining also received top honours in the mining and natural resources category.
“With the mining boom in full swing in Australia and companies all searching for people in the same talent pool, it’s clearly a competitive environment,” said van der Tang.
“Being the country’s largest gold producer, a global top 10 gold mining company, and having a strong employer brand, working for Newcrest Mining is definitely seen as a very appealing and attractive employment option for many Aussies.”
Westpac took out first place in the banking and financial services category, while the ABC was also singled out for offering the best work/life balance.
BHP Billiton received special acknowledgement for having the strongest leadership and management in the country.
Van der Tang says Randstad’s employer branding research has shown companies in the mining and travel industries are consistently perceived as attractive places to work.
Mining and resource companies make up a quarter of this year’s top 20 most attractive employers.
“People are attracted to companies for a number of reasons, which can be analysed according to what men and women want, what the different generations are looking for, and even according to the different priorities of people who are single, married or with young families,” van der Tang said.
Long-term job security and the financial health of a company have also increased in importance in these uncertain economic times. Competitive salary, employee benefits, work/life balance and a pleasant working atmosphere become more important to those considering a shift or change in careers in boom times.
“The war for talent is on a steep incline and those organisations that attract, engage and retain the best talent are ultimately those that will be most successful,” van der Tang added.
The 20 most attractive employers in Australia are:
1. Newcrest Mining
2. ABC
3. Virgin Australia
4. GHD
5. Wesfarmers
6. Cadbury Schweppes
7. Bae Systems
8. Rio Tinto
9. IBM
10. Australian Leisure & Hospitality Group
11. Pilbara Iron
12. BHP Billiton
13. Nestle
14. Coca-Cola Amatil
15. KPMG
16. Computershare
17. Deloitte
18. Toyota
19. Woodside
20. PWC
