By Dawn Tay

IT'S a great way to fly, and, now, it's also a great place to work.

Local graduates have tipped Singapore Airlines (SIA) as the country's top employer in the private sector, according to the results of an online survey home-grown recruitment specialist JobsFactory released yesterday.

Ranked fifth in last year's survey, the national carrier edged out last year's winner, Citibank, with over 40 per cent of respondents voting for SIA as opposed to 34 per cent for Citibank.

Mr Christopher Cheng, divisional vice-president of human resources at SIA, said: "SIA offers exciting and rewarding career opportunities for graduates, as well as comprehensive training and development."

Now in its third year, the annual JobsFactory Employers of Choice Survey, held from July to August, involved over 4,800 entry- level graduates - current students and recent graduates from Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore and Singapore Management University.

The survey also showed local banks have become more popular as employers, even as foreign banks fell in the rankings. United Overseas Bank jumped 16 notches to No. 13, while DBS rose eight notches to No. 6.

Despite the uncertain economy, the banking and finance service industry remained the hottest industry for entry-level graduates. Financial institutions made up six of the top 10.

In the public sector, the Singapore Tourism Board emerged as the top employer, followed by the Economic Development Board and the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

dawnt@sph.com.sg