Apple is the best private sector company to work for in the U.K. according to data published on Monday.

Research from recruitment website Indeed ranked Apple at the top of a list of the U.K.'s best employers in 2018. The list of the 25 best companies to work for was compiled using millions of employee reviews posted on Indeed and included both British and overseas-based firms.

Apple employs around 6,500 people in the U.K. and has around 1.76 million employees across Europe. Its store in London's Regent Street – the first of its 38 U.K. retail outlets – has around 60,000 customers per week, according to the company's website.

The survey results said the tech giant's enjoyable workplace culture, high rates of pay, and free or discounted tech helped it secure the top spot.

British company Wren Kitchens took second place, while global pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) was named the third best employer.

GSK was praised by employees for offering a strong work-life balance and attractive career prospects.

Colleen Schuller, head of employee engagement at GSK, said in the release: "We're a science-led global healthcare company with a special purpose to help people do more, feel better and live longer – and we believe that starts with our people. It's great to see that past and present employee feedback reinforces that GSK is a great place to work."

Bill Richards, U.K. managing director at Indeed, said the companies that made the list tended to share similar values.

"Companies that make their employees feel valued and offer a positive working environment score consistently highly among the reviews posted on Indeed," he said in a press release on Monday. "As we continue to see for many staff, work-life balance, career prospects and a great workplace culture can all mean more than a good salary alone."

Indeed's top 10 private sector employers in the U.K.

1. Apple

2. Wren Kitchens

3. GlaxoSmithKline

4. Homeserve

5. Rolls-Royce

6. Nando's

7. Lush Cosmetics

8. John Lewis & Partners

9. Unilever

10. Marks and Spencer

Source: cnbc