Cantabrians vote Air New Zealand as most attractive employer

Specialist recruitment & HR services provider, Randstad, announced this evening that Air New Zealand is the region’s most attractive employer in Canterbury, winning the 2012 Randstad Award as voted by almost 1000 Cantabrians.

The announcement was made tonight at an exclusive event at The Teahouse at Riccarton Park in Christchurch, where senior executives from some of the city’s largest organisations were entertained with an evening of celebrations and insightful discussion around employer branding, and what this means for the Christchurch workforce.

Paul Robinson, director of Randstad New Zealand emphasised the importance of the Awards and the employer branding research which is commissioned as part of the annual Randstad Award.

“Having an in-depth understanding of national and local results from this research is key to providing the business community with valuable insights into the sentiments and trends of employees living and working in Christchurch, and how they perceive local and national organisations.

“Congratulations to Air New Zealand which continues to prove its strengths in establishing and maintaining a dynamic and successful employer brand. It’s a huge accomplishment and very well deserved that Air New Zealand has taken the top spot in Christchurch as well as in the national Awards.”

“Air New Zealand has cemented themselves as one of the country’s most prominent and reputable organisations and they are acutely aware of the need to continually attract, engage, develop and retain local talent, a strength which I’m sure is admired by many organisations across Christchurch and throughout the country.”

Air New Zealand rated exceptionally well in the study which assessed organisations’ perceived attractiveness amongst Christchurch’s population. Not only did Cantabrians rate the national airline as the most attractive organisation to work for, they also performed well for having a pleasant working atmosphere, interesting job content, strong management and good training.

Accolades also go to New Zealand Customs Service who was named the second most attractive employer in Christchurch. This reflects their success at the national Awards where they placed third, as well as taking out the most attractive public sector award. The Department of Conservation took out third spot on the podium.

The Randstad Awards in Christchurch also recognised organisations for excelling in specific categories. Fonterra won the title for the organisation perceived by Cantabrians to be the most financially healthy. For the category of offering the best long term job security, the New Zealand Navy took out the top spot. The organisation offering the most interesting roles and job content went to Department of Conservation, and New Zealand Police placed first for offering excellent career opportunities.

Penni Hlaca, Manager of Randstad says it’s extremely timely for the Randstad Awards to come to Christchurch.

“The outlook for the region is increasingly positive, and with new developments in infrastructure and the continual creation of jobs in construction, IT and healthcare, we have seen a shift in the employer market,” says Ms Hlaca.

“People are increasingly drawn to organisations with a strong employer brand that offers a range of attractive criteria which, this year, focus on providing long-term job security and being financially healthy. The importance of these key factors to Cantabrians is reflective of the turbulent times we have gone through in the past 18 months.”

“Employers must be aware of these factors and of the significance of a strong employer brand in order to recruit and retain the best workforce. In today’s highly competitive market, this will give your business the competitive edge and point of difference,” says Ms Hlaca.

Mr Robinson says following the success of last year’s inaugural Awards in New Zealand, the popularity of measuring brand perceptions has significantly grown amongst the business community.

“I am very proud of the fact Randstad is making this significant investment in New Zealand, as well as recognising local Canterbury businesses and employer brands that aim to attract, engage and retain talent in the region.

“What’s unique about the Randstad Awards is that the winners are selected by Cantabrians, making this the peoples’ choice award for the most attractive employer,” says Mr Robinson.