IT may surprise you, but high pay is not what matters most to Singaporeans when it comes to looking for a good place to work.

In fact, the thing they want most is a flexible work/life balance. A recent survey conducted by global recruitment firm Robert Walters found that 35 per cent of respondents said a flexible work/life balance is the main reason to consider a company 'a great employer'.

Mark Ellwood, managing director of Robert Walters Singapore, said that the survey is further proof that employees increasingly regard quality of life as their chief objective. 'People are prepared to work hard but the trade-off is two-fold,' he said. 'They want to enjoy the work they do but they don't want to feel enslaved to their work. Employers need to be wise to this, because with competition for top talent at its most intense, they run the risk of losing out if they don't meet this increasingly important requirement.'

The next most popular reason cited as making a company a great employer is transparent career progression, with about 32 per cent of respondents saying this matters most to them.

Only about 15 per cent of respondents think a great salary and benefits make an employer an ideal one to work for.

Another finding that may surprise you is the fact that employer brand and corporate culture do not matter that much to many Singapore professionals.

Only about 13.3 per cent of respondents feel employer brand and corporate image is the biggest reason behind a great workplace.

And in these days of job-hopping, it seems that having an 'iron rice bowl' is no longer as important as it was. A mere 5.3 per cent of respondents think job security and stability is what makes an employer great.

The survey obtained 225 responses from Singapore professionals in various industries.