SINGAPORE - Issues like unity among colleagues, job security and the management's loyalty towards employees become even more important during the kind of crisis we are experiencing now, research firm Statista has noted.

Companies that continue to put the needs of their staff first have come into their own over the past 18 months and are deserving of recognition, according to Statista.

The Germany-based firm has linked up with The Straits Times to compile Singapore's Best Employers survey, which invites staff members to share their views and help identify organisations people most enjoy working for.

The study - now in its third edition - will rank the top 200 employers here.

Rankings will be based primarily on whether employees would recommend the company to a friend or family member.

The survey runs from today until Sept 20 and firms from all sectors employing at least 200 people in Singapore are eligible for evaluation.

The results will be published next April in The Straits Times.

Mr Dominic Nathan, managing editor of the English/Malay/Tamil Media Group of Singapore Press Holdings, said: "We are well into the second year of coping with Covid-19, and many employers have had to go to extraordinary lengths to keep their operations going and hold on to their employees.

"They are truly worthy of being recognised as being amongst Singapore's best employers."

Technology giant Google topped the list last year followed by Apple.

Retailer Adidas Singapore, educational institute Singapore American School and another tech giant, Amazon, were also among the top employers here.

More than 9,000 people responded to the online survey conducted in August and September last year that eventually nominated around 1,700 eligible employers across 26 industries.

Statista's lead analyst, Mr Niklas Tamm, said: "To make it to the list as one of the best employers, you need to cover all bases of employee satisfaction - starting with general circumstances like working conditions and workplace equipment over salary and image, to the working atmosphere and giving your employees opportunities to live up to their own potential."

He added that the pandemic has not only brought on economic challenges for employers, but concerns over health measures in the workplace, fear of job loss and the challenges of working from home.

Having a flexible stance towards working from home might also be another factor that could play a bigger role in determining good employers in the future, he noted.

"On a global level, we see that major companies like the 'big four' - EY, Deloitte, KMPG and PwC - are rethinking their stance towards home office or flexible working hours - not only for corona times but beyond the pandemic," Mr Tamm said.

"For Singapore being an international business hub, our educated guess for this year's survey is that these factors will play a bigger role for employee satisfaction than in previous years."

Mr Tamm said firms should listen to employees and actively get feedback regularly as staff needs can shift quickly. They should also be transparent, especially during uncertain times like the pandemic.

He added that soft factors like the working atmosphere, recognition and potential for development matter more than hard factors like just raising wages and buying the latest hardware.

Those who wish to participate in the study can visit str.sg/bestemp22 by Sept 20 to take part in a short survey.