The NSW Department of Communities and Justice has been named the top public sector employer in Australia. 

The accolade comes from a Randstad Employer Brand Research study, conducted by Kantar Australia, based on 75 private and public sector organisations, with 6,001 members of the Australian general public taking part.

Department of Communities and Justice secretary Michael Tidball says it is an acknowledgement of the department’s values of “service, trust, accountability, integrity and respect”.

“Our values drive our work and commitment to delivering a high standard of service to benefit the community of NSW,” he said. 

The department’s HR executive director Catherine Carvolth said the research reflects the positive culture at the workplace. 

“Employees in workplaces with values-led cultures are happier and more motivated, leading to better business and client outcomes, and this shines through in the findings of this study,” Ms Carvolth said.

“We are very proud to be recognised as the number one public sector employee in Australia and value our 24,000 staff, who make it such a great place to work.”

The study also found that the top-three most attractive sectors for employees were medical technology (61 per cent), defence (56 per cent), and early learning (56 per cent). 

The highest ranking factor behind peoples’ choice of an employer was work-life balance (62 per cent), followed by salary and benefits (56 per cent) and job security (56 per cent). 

The research also suggested women are more likely to desire work-life balance (69 per cent), than men (55 per cent).