LinkedIn unveils second annual Top Companies list

Our annual 2017 LinkedIn Top Companies list highlights the companies in top markets around the globe that are most sought-after by professionals, based on exclusive LinkedIn data and billions of actions by LinkedIn’s 500-plus million members.

In the U.S., 50 companies are spotlighted. While every company on the U.S. list fosters a unique culture, business model and executive suite, the list revealed a few stand-out insights:

  • Companies get political. Until recently it was deemed taboo to mix business with politics, but in the current climate companies are tossing those rules aside. Several Top Companies such as Facebook (#3), Airbnb (#11) and Lyft (#38) took firm stances against the immigration ban in early 2017, while many Top Company CEOs including Tesla’s (#6) Elon Musk, JPMorgan Chase’s (#20) Jamie Dimon, The Walt Disney Company’s (#9) Bob Iger and BlackRock’s (#22) Larry Fink sit on the President’s Strategic and Policy Forum.
  • The Uber factor. Despite several scandals, Uber still catapulted near the top of the list to #5, uncovering that employees care about tackling big challenges and earning significant compensation ahead of a likely IPO even as negative headlines pile up. In February, the month that an ex-employee wrote an explosive blog post outlining discrimination, the number of people globally viewing open roles and applying to jobs at Uber doubled compared to the same time last year, according to LinkedIn data. With that said, we’ve seen some indication the most recent events are affecting Uber and discuss it here.
  • Size matters. America wants to work for a behemoth. On average, companies on the U.S. list have 66,279 global employees, roughly 20 percent more than the list’s global average. Amazon (#2) leads the U.S. list in number of employees, with 341,000 workers.

Here's what the highest ranked LinkedIn Top Companies in the U.S. are doing to attract and keep top talent:

  1. Alphabet is on track to hit its goal set in 2012 of using 100 percent renewable energy for its operations.
  2. Amazon offers “leave share,” which allows employees to give six weeks of paid leave to a spouse or partner who isn’t eligible for parental leave at their employer.
  3. Facebook is working on tackling the internet’s biggest problems such as how to fight fake news and online extremism, and they are also developing new features for the company’s other platforms including Instagram, WhatsApp and Oculus VR.
  4. Salesforce allows employees to safely and openly share opinions and resolve conflicts with an “Airing of Grievances” feedback forum.
  5. Uber gifts employees monthly ride credits and provides many employees with attractive equity plans.
  6. Tesla gives all employees access to drive a Tesla Roadster and the occasional opportunity to take one home for the weekend.
  7. Apple holds employee events with surprise musical guests and supplies free apples 24/7.
  8. Time Warner offers film and television screenings in its offices featuring the latest content from its brands.
  9. The Walt Disney Company provides employees with free passes to all Disney theme parks for themselves and their families.
  10. Comcast offers all full-time employees free digital television and internet.

This year, the list includes rankings for the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, Brazil and India. Driven by the LinkedIn Editorial Team, which operates independently within LinkedIn, the list excludes LinkedIn and Microsoft from consideration as is standard for all editorial efforts. Like all content in the LinkedIn List series, the Top Companies list was developed by analyzing billions of actions taken by LinkedIn’s 500-plus million members to come up with a blended score derived from a combination of LinkedIn data and editorial that is used to rank the winners in each geography.

LinkedIn Top Companies List Methodology

The Top Companies list is a part of the LinkedIn List franchise, which celebrates companies and individuals making an impact in the professional world, and it spotlights the companies that attract and retain top talent globally. The list is fueled by a combination of exclusive LinkedIn data including reach, engagement, job interest, retention and an editorial lens. It’s based on the actions of job seekers and professionals with editorial oversight, highlighting the companies most sought-after today. (You can read more about our full methodology here.)

Link to list: 

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/linkedin-top-companies-2017-where-us-wants-work-now-daniel-roth?published=t

Contact

Ashley Levey

anerz@linkedin.com