SINGAPORE’S BEST EMPLOYERS 2020

Identifying the best employers

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

New survey by ST and Statista looks at what it takes to win the race for talent — and keep employees happy

BY RACHEL TAN

From fair wages, career advancement opportunities, good relationships with colleagues and superiors to aesthetically pleasing workspaces, these are some factors commonly cited in employee satisfaction surveys.

A recent online survey found that while pay and benefits remain key drivers of employee satisfaction, workers these days are placing increasingly more importance on training and upskilling opportunities.

In August and September last year, The Straits Times and global research firm Statista polled over 8,000 employees based in Singapore to evaluate their own employer and other employers they know of. The scores were then used to tabulate a ranking of Singapore’s 150 Best Employers 2020. The companies are from 25 industry sectors.

Over the years, Statista has had a strong track record in the field of measuring employer quality, having conducted similar surveys in countries such as the United States, Germany, France and Switzerland. The Singapore’s Best Employers 2020 survey is the first of its kind in Singapore — and Asia.

Dr Thomas Clark, partner at Statista, stresses the uniquely broad approach of this survey. “Our intention was to conduct a comprehensive study where every company with more than 200 employees based in Singapore is considered,” he says in a phone interview. Mr Niklas Tamm, lead analyst of Statista’s Best Employers survey projects globally, and his team also observe that regardless of industry, individual advancement opportunities in terms of higher wages, self-development and training are valued more by employees compared with five years ago. Teamwork and a flatter hierarchical organisational structure also contribute more to an employee’s happiness than before.

These trends are evident in Singapore, too. Among the companies that have made it to the inaugural 2020 list, IT consulting and services company Optimum Solutions, medicines company Novartis and tech company CrimsonLogic place a strong emphasis on providing training opportunities for their workers.

It is a feat, says Dr Clark, to make it to the top 150 list, bearing in mind that almost 2,000 companies were considered.

“Every company in the ranking is a fantastic employer, regardless of its position,” he explains. “Thanks to the comprehensive approach, these employers can now compare themselves with others in the league of the best. We hope to conduct this survey annually so companies will see if they can progress in terms of their employer quality, or if there will be some fallbacks.”

Indeed, with Covid-19 pandemic disruptions now affecting workplaces the world over, including Singapore, Dr Clark and Mr Tamm hope that the ranking this year would encourage companies that made it to the list to do their utmost to keep their score amid these challenging times.

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