Tech Workers Give Microsoft, Redfin, Zillow Top Marks

Microsoft Corp., Redfin Corp. and Zillow Group Inc. are the top employer brands in the Puget Sound region.

Job website Hired asked more than 3,600 tech workers in 14 cities to rate their regions top employers. Locally, Amazon Inc. finished No. 4 and Tableau Software Inc. was No. 5. Two companies REI Inc. (No. 9) and Costco Wholesale Corp. (No. 10) had never appeared on the list before.

Forty-six percent of local respondents identified company culture as one of the most important factors when searching for a job. Forty-four percent say theyd leave their current job for one with a better location and shorter commute.

Nationally, no Seattle-area companies made the Top 15 Employer Brands: Private Companies list Airbnb was No. 1 — but Microsoft (No. 5) and Amazon (No. 7) both appeared on a national list of top public companies. The most popular public company nationally was Google Inc.

Workers in various cities identified different criteria as being most important when job-seeking. In Austin, Texas, for example, workers rated benefits and perks as most important. In several cities, including Denver, Dallas and Chicago, employees rated working remotely as being extremely important to them.

The respondents said LinkedIn was their top source for learning about company announcements and initiatives, followed by news outlets and company blogs.