Almost one-third of firms on regional list of top employers have Singapore presence

[SINGAPORE] Almost one-third, or 32, companies on a list of the top 100 employers to work for in South-east Asia have a presence in Singapore.

The first Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list for South-east Asia was published on Dec 2 by financial publication Fortune, in collaboration with consultancy Great Place To Work (GPTW).

It follows similar lists for North America since 1998 and in Europe since 2024.

For the South-east Asian list, more than 1.3 million employees across 10 markets were invited to assess trust, fairness and support at work, with over 550,000 providing verified survey responses in hashing out the rankings, GPTW said on Dec 2.

The markets are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

As major markets in the region, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand were also well represented on the list. The Philippines shone in this regard, with over half of the listed employers having operations there.

“Rankings are driven primarily by confidential employee feedback, with company-provided information used to confirm basic eligibility and context.

“Only companies with consistently high survey responses from employees, regardless of their role, department or status in the company, can secure a placement on the list,” GPTW said.

Capella Hotels & Resorts, at third, was the highest-ranked employer to have its global headquarters here.

Investment firm ST Telemedia and industrial conglomerate Jebsen & Jessen Group were also among other Singapore-rooted firms that appeared on the list.

Hospitality employers took three of the top six slots, with Hilton coming in second and Marriott International ranking sixth.

Other high-ranking companies with a presence here include logistics giant DHL, which came in second on a Singapore-specific list released earlier in November and top in the region.

Semiconductor juggernaut Micron Technology, which came in tops among large employers in Singapore on the earlier Singapore-specific list, ranked 18 on the regional list.

Evelyn Kwek, managing director of GPTW in ASEAN, Australia and New Zealand, said: “This first-ever list reflects a diverse and dynamic region that is coming into its own by recognising organisations that have intentionally built environments where people feel trusted and supported to do their best work.

“The decades of research and millions of employee voices collected in our data have shown that when that trust is strong, businesses grow in ways that lift people, communities and entire economies.”

Jacintha Soh, senior vice-president for human resources at Capella Hotel Group, said: “Being Singapore’s highest-ranked luxury hospitality company reinforces something we have always believed: that exceptional guest experiences start with a workplace where people feel valued and supported.

“It’s validation that our approach to colleague well-being directly translates to the service excellence Capella is known for.”

Soh also said the group is hiring across a range of roles, including those pertaining to guests’ experience such as specialised concierges, operational positions in reservations, and commercial functions such as in sales coordination. THE STRAITS TIMES