The 20 companies most Aussies want to work for The Randstad Awards name the employers most Australians dream of working for. IF you could work anywhere in the country, where would you choose? The most popular answer for Australians is the ABC, according to recruitment firm Randstad. It bumped last year's winner Virgin Australia from top spot at the 2013 Randstad Awards, with defence and security company BAE Systems coming in third. The awards measure the perceived attractiveness of Australia's major employers using a survey of 7000 active job seekers. The ABC, which won second place last year, ranked highly among Australians for its offer of interesting job content, learning and development opportunities, long term job security, workplace culture and work-life balance. The most attractive industry according to job seekers is the aviation industry, which often scores highly due to perceived benefits like cheaper flights. Virgin Australia and Qantas both ranked in the top five attractive employers. Mining and resources is the second most attractive sector, with fast moving consumer goods ranked third. This year Federal Government departments were included in the research for the first time, with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, the Department of Health and Ageing, the Department of Defence and Australia Post all making the top 20. The survey showed the most important factor when considering an employer was competitive salary and benefits (20 per cent), followed by long-term job security (17 per cent), good work-life balance (11 per cent) and interesting job content (9 per cent). Randstad managing director Deb Loveridge said this year Australian workers wanted to be recognised and rewarded for hard work and loyalty through better salary and benefits, rather than job security which was a major concern in 2012. "With people increasingly looking for employers who will reward their efforts and contribution to the organisation, being viewed as an employer who cares for and invests in their people has never been more important to secure and retain top talent in the years ahead," Ms Loveridge said. The research also found men prefer financially healthy organisations with strong management that offer career prospects and learning opportunities, whereas women look more for flexible working arrangements, accessibility and good work-life balance. Randstad Award winners 2013 (amongst respondents who know the company, the percentage that would like to work for the company): ABC - 47 per cent Virgin Australia - 44 per cent BAE Systems - 42 per cent Channel Seven - 42 per cent Qantas - 41 per cent Department of Immigration & Citizenship - 41 per cent Department of Health & Ageing - 41 per cent Newcrest Mining - 40 per cent Coca-Cola Amatil - 40 per cent GHD - 40 per cent Department of Defence - 40 per cent Australia Post - 39 per cent Rio Tinto - 39 per cent Wesfarmers - 39 per cent WorleyParsons - 38 per cent BHP - 36 per cent Nestle - 35 per cent Lion - 34 per cent Westfield - 34 per cent Computershare - 34 per cent