Air New Zealand named New Zealand’s most attractive employer for second consecutive year

New Zealand’s appreciation of its national airline has been reinforced today, with Air New Zealand being announced as the most attractive employer in the 2018 Randstad Employer Brand Research, for the second consecutive year. Air New Zealand has now won this award five times in total.

Air New Zealand was recognised for its financial stability, focus on technology and strong reputation. The Public Sector also performed strongly in 2018 with The Department of Conservation being ranked second most attractive employer in New Zealand for the second year in a row, valued for giving back to society, providing interesting job content and reputation. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment took out the third spot and was valued for being financially healthy, job security and career progression.

Education and training was named as the most attractive industry (36 per cent) in New Zealand, followed by professional services and public services (33 per cent) in joint second place, with information technology and telecommunications coming in third (31 per cent).

The rankings reiterate the importance of organisations being financially stable, investing in technology while also providing interesting job opportunities and maintaining a strong public reputation.  It’s these attributes that are engaging to employees and attracting job seekers.

 “I am excited to announce Air New Zealand as the most attractive New Zealand employer and education and training as the most attractive sector.  Air New Zealand is an iconic brand and continues to set the standard for what a great airline should be.  It’s no surprise that New Zealanders have reacted so positively for the second year in a row,” said Katherine Swan, Country Director of Randstad New Zealand.

The Randstad Employer Brand Research is the largest piece of employer brand research in the world and this independent survey of 30 countries includes insights from 3,757 New Zealanders. It recognises the top employers and industries in New Zealand, as well as employee sentiment about attractive qualities in a job.

Air New Zealand’s Chief Executive Officer Christopher Luxon says recognition for the airline’s strong reputation and focus on technology is particularly meaningful for its staff.

 “This is the fifth time we’ve won this award, which clearly reflects the efforts of our nearly 12,000 employees who play an integral role in upholding our strong reputation.

“Our focus on innovation and technology is very much driven from within the organisation, and our employees play a huge part in consistently improving the way we do things for our customer,” said Luxon.

Randstad’s research also identified what job seekers and employees look for in an employer. While financial stability and reputation are increasingly important to Kiwis, work-life balance is the single most important reason for employees to choose their employer (46 per cent).¹  

It is most highly valued by workers aged 25-44 (57 per cent) compared to their younger and older peers.² Here, women (57 per cent) place more value than men on good work-life balance (52 per cent) which corresponds with NZ Ministry for Women^[1][2] research which states that one in three employed women work part-time.

“In 2018, achieving greater work life balance was one of the most important factors for employees when choosing a career.  This ‘work to live’ employee mindset reinforces the importance of companies having solid policies in place for flexible working, if they want to remain competitive and retain great people,” said Swan. 

As companies work to present a more human face to their brands, it’s no surprise that an alignment of personal values with a company’s culture is a key factor in employee satisfaction working there, with research indicating 80 per cent of Kiwi employees have left a company specifically because of its culture.⁴

Randstad’s latest research indicates that Kiwi workers believe employers are more focused on financial deliverables and technology compared to their preferences of salary and benefits and work-life balance. This reflects an opportunity for employers to align their branding with jobseeker values.

Swan called on companies to take heed, “With 30 per cent of New Zealanders planning to change roles within the next year,⁵ a marked increase from last year, we are calling on businesses to revitalise their employer value propositions. It’s crucial that companies present a true image of who they are and commit to it. That is the secret to the success of New Zealand’s most attractive employers.”

The full Randstad Employer Brand Research report will be available from 9:00am NZST on Tuesday 19 June 2018 here.