The world of work is transforming. Not only have we been working through a once-in-a-generation global pandemic, but decades of automation, the rise of artificial intelligence and an accelerated shift to remote work have all reshaped what our professional lives look like – and what we’re expecting from our employers.
LinkedIn launched its 2021 LinkedIn Top Companies list in April 2021, a ranking of the 25 best workplaces at which to grow your career. This fifth annual launch also debuts their new methodology, which uses unique LinkedIn data to go beyond the companies that attract talent to uncover the companies that invest in their talent. These 25 companies help employees build a professional foundation that sets them up for success both at the company and beyond.
The new methodology has seven key pillars, each revealing an important element of career progression: ability to advance, skills growth, company stability, external opportunity, company affinity, gender diversity and educational background.
The Top Companies list serves as a go-to resource for professionals at every stage, from those who are looking to get back on their feet after an unprecedented year, to those who are ready to make the next step in their career journey. At each company, you can see which roles and skills are in demand. See a company that feels like a good fit for you? Follow their company page and/or turn on job alerts to ensure you don’t miss out on future opportunities.
You can also check out the Top Companies in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Qatar, the UAE and the US, and see which companies topped the lists around Europe.
Here are this year’s 25 #LinkedInTopCompanies in the UK.
1. Barclays (Financial Services)
Headcount in the UK: 47,700 | Top UK locations: London, Northampton, Glasgow | Most common skills: Banking, Finance, Risk Management | Largest job functions: Finance, Business Development, Sales, Information Technology | What you should know: As well as establishing new remote working systems, Barclays put the focus on diversity and inclusion in 2020. Its first report on the subject established new ways to measure and improve representation of underrepresented groups, including women and people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
2. Tesco (Retail)
Headcount in the UK: 300,000 | Top UK locations: Welwyn Garden City, London, Edinburgh, Glasgow | Most common skills: Merchandising, Recruiting, Customer Satisfaction, Finance | Largest job functions: Support, Operations, Sales, Administrative | What you should know: Supermarkets saw a huge surge in demand during lockdown and Tesco was no exception. As well as hiring 50,000 temporary staff, Tesco created 16,000 permanent roles to support the growth of online shopping.
3. NatWest Group (Banking)
Headcount in the UK: 42,275 | Top UK locations: London, Edinburgh, Manchester | Most common skills: Banking, Finance, Risk Management | Largest job functions: Finance, Business Development, Sales, Information Technology | What you should know: NatWest Group has taken experiences from the pandemic to make flexibility a core part of its working environment. The bank expects to adopt a hybrid model, balancing working from home with time in the office for collaboration.
4. BT (Telecommunications)
Headcount in the UK: 82,700 | Top UK locations: London, Ipswich, Newcastle upon Tyne | Most common skills: Telecommunications, Stakeholder Management, Project Delivery | Largest job functions: Engineering, Information Technology, Sales | What you should know: BT’s broadband arm, Openreach, is set to ramp up the rollout of full-fibre internet connections this year – and has pledged to hire 2,500 roles and create 2,800 more in connected sectors. During the pandemic, the telecoms giant froze pay but promised a bonus worth £1,500 to frontline staff; however, it remains under pressure from the Communication Workers Union over modernisation plans and potential impact on existing roles.
5. PwC UK (Accounting)
Headcount in the UK: 22,300 | Top UK locations: London, Belfast, Birmingham | Most common skills: Finance, Accounting, Financial Analysis | Largest job functions: Accounting, Finance, Business Development | What you should know: PwC was among the first of the Big Four accounting firms to announce plans for the future of post-pandemic work. In March, the firm told staff it expects them to spend two or three days a week in the office and the rest working remotely; it also pledged to give staff greater flexibility to decide their own working hours.
6. Deloitte UK (Management Consulting)
Headcount in the UK: 20,000 | Top UK locations: London, Belfast, Cardiff | Most common skills: Finance, Financial Analysis, Accounting | Largest job functions: Consulting, Accounting, Business Development | What you should know: Deloitte expanded in 2020, acquiring technology consultancy Keytree and strengthening its regional presence across the north of England (including creating roles at a new Leeds hub for its creative agency).
7. Sainsbury’s (Retail)
Headcount in the UK: 172,000 | Top UK locations: London, Birmingham, Edinburgh | Most common skills: Merchandising, Recruiting, Customer Satisfaction | Largest job functions: Support, Sales, Operations | What you should know: Throughout the pandemic, supermarket workers have been on the frontline, and Sainsbury’s rewarded staff with a pay rise and several Covid bonuses. While a winter restructure led Sainsbury’s to close some Argos stores, the retailer predicted a net overall job creation of 6,000 roles in 2020.
8. EY (Accounting)
Headcount in the UK: 17,000 | Top UK locations: London, Birmingham, Manchester | Most common skills: Finance, Financial Analysis, Accounting | Largest job functions: Accounting, Finance, Business Development | What you should know: While EY cut more than 30 support jobs in late 2020, the Big Four accountancy firm has managed to keep job losses to a minimum and is continuing recruitment for client-facing positions. EY puts a big focus on diversity, so even if you’re a student, recent grad or without a degree, there could be a place for you.
9. Upwork (Internet)
Headcount in the UK: 930* | Top UK locations: London, Birmingham, Manchester | Most common skills: Adobe Photoshop, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Social Media Marketing | Largest job functions: Media and Communication, Arts and Design, Engineering | What you should know: Upwork is a remote-first company, which means you shouldn’t be put off from applying for a job even if you’re not near one of their physical offices. An unlimited holiday policy, emotional wellbeing support, family medical insurance and more complete a generous benefits package.
10. BBC (Broadcast Media)
Headcount in the UK: 22,750 | Top UK locations: London, Manchester, Cardiff | Most common skills: Television, Broadcasting, Video Production | Largest job functions: Media and Communication, Arts and Design, Operations | What you should know: The BBC has upped its game when it comes to offering different, more flexible ways of working. Employees can request part-time hours, term-time hours, staggered working hours or flexitime, compressed hours, annualised hours, working from home, job sharing, flexible retirement and career breaks.
11. Bloomberg LP (Financial Services)
Headcount in the UK: 4,000 | Top UK locations: London, Harrow, Chelmsford | Most common skills: Financial Markets, Fixed Income, Equities | Largest job functions: Engineering, Sales, Information Technology | What you should know: Bloomberg quickly pivoted in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic to remote working, offering a roadmap for virtual interviewing and new hire onboarding. It also has a comprehensive list of benefits to make home-working sustainable, including flexible hours, virtual ‘Take Your Kids to Work’ days, a one-off Covid bonus payment to all employees and online events and meet-ups.
12. Amazon （Internet）
Headcount in the UK: 40,000 | Top UK locations: London, Manchester, Luton | Most common skills: Data Analysis, Recruiting, Operations Management | Largest job functions: Operations, Engineering, Sales | What you should know: Amazon created 10,000 new roles in the UK in 2020. It’s also hiring 1,000 apprentices in 2021 across several of its major teams, including Reliability Maintenance Engineering, Information Technology, Software Development, Fashion and Marketing and Operations.
13. American Express （Financial Services）
Headcount in the UK: 5,300 | Top UK locations: Brighton, London | Most common skills: Financial Services, Business Analysis, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) | Largest job functions: Business Development, Sales, Finance | What you should know: American Express committed to no Covid-19-related layoffs in 2020 and expanded its employee benefits to include virtual counselling, wellness coaching, meditation and exercise programmes. The company has also made progress on its gender pay gap figures, with the number of women in senior management positions currently standing at 46%.
14. JPMorgan Chase & Co. (Financial Services)
Headcount in the UK: 19,000 | Top UK locations: London, Bournemouth, Glasgow | Most common skills: Finance, Investment Banking, Banking | Largest job functions: Finance, Business Development, Engineering | What you should know: JPMorgan Chase prides itself on encouraging creativity throughout all their teams, investing in 50,000 technologists globally. The financial services firm also promotes over 200 Business Resource Groups around the world and offers diversity training courses to retain and develop its staff.
15. Cisco (Computer Networking)
Headcount in the UK: 3,000 | Top UK locations: London, Twickenham, Reading | Most common skills: Cisco Systems Products, Cloud Computing, Telecommunications | Largest job functions: Sales, Information Technology, Engineering | What you should know: Fancy exploring new careers? Cisco’s talent marketplace offers job swap and time swap options. With the time swap, you exchange 20% of your job with someone; a job swap means you can start a 100% new job at the company on a temporary or permanent basis.
16. Wipro Limited (Information Technology & Services)
Headcount in the UK: 3,660 | Top UK locations: London, Reading, Birmingham | Most common skills: Requirements Analysis, Business Analysis, Solution Architecture | Largest job functions: Engineering, Information Technology, Consulting | What you should know: With its recent acquisition of UK management and technology consultancy Capco, Wipro’s 2021 is off to a strong start. The global IT firm’s benefits extend beyond a good salary: they also offer flexible working and stock options.
17. Alphabet (Information Technology & Services)
Alphabet is the parent of Google and YouTube, among others.
Headcount in the UK: 5,000 | Top UK locations: London, Birmingham, Manchester | Most common skills: Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Online Advertising | Largest job functions: Media and Communication, Engineering, Business Development | What you should know: Although CEO Sundar Pichai says Google is exploring post-pandemic hybrid work options, the Alphabet subsidiary isn’t giving up on the office, either. The Times reported in September that Google was in talks to rent an extra 70,000 sq ft of office space in addition to its new “landscraper” London HQ near Kings Cross.
18. Accenture (Information Technology & Services)
Headcount in the UK: 9,800 | Top UK locations: London, Newcastle upon Tyne, Reading | Most common skills: Business Analysis, Management Consulting, Stakeholder Management | Largest job functions: Information Technology, Business Development, Engineering | What you should know: Career development and learning are focus areas for Accenture: Employees can be paired with career counsellors, access online learning tools or attend one of more than 90 connected classrooms across the globe.
19. Unilever (Consumer Goods)
Headcount in the UK: 6,000 | Top UK locations: London, Chester, Kingston upon Thames | Most common skills: Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), Supply Chain Management, Product Development | Largest job functions: Operations, Marketing, Research | What you should know: The consumer-goods giant behind brands such as Dove, Ben & Jerry’s and Knorr is planning for a flexible work world: Boss Alan Jope says workers will never return to the office five days a week, and the company’s New Zealand branch is trialling a four-day work week.
20. AstraZeneca (Pharmaceuticals)
Headcount in the UK: 8,500 | Top UK locations: Stockport, Cambridge, London | Most common skills: Pharmaceutics, Life Sciences, Oncology | Largest job functions: Research, Operations, Information Technology | What you should know: In addition to developing and manufacturing its coronavirus vaccine (in conjunction with Oxford University), AstraZeneca has also given some employees leave to volunteer in the Covid fight in their communities.
21. eBay (Internet)
Headcount in the UK: 1,080 | Top UK locations: London, Twickenham, Manchester | Most common skills: E-commerce, Digital Marketing, Analytics | Largest job functions: Sales, Marketing, Business Development | What you should know: The online retail giant was one of the success stories of the UK’s first lockdown: as people stayed at home, sales of secondhand goods on the site jumped 30%, with pre-owned and vintage fashion seeing a particular surge.
22. NFU Mutual (Insurance)
Headcount in the UK: 4,000 | Top UK locations: Stratford-upon-Avon, York, Bristol, Glasgow, Belfast | Most common skills: Insurance, General Insurance, Risk Management | Largest job functions: Finance, Sales, Support | What you should know: Employee engagement and wellbeing are important to NFU Mutual – staff have access to mental wellbeing tools and a financial advisor, and have the option to take time off to volunteer at local charities.
23. Stryker (Medical Device)
Headcount in the UK: 600 | Top UK locations: London, Reading, Belfast | Most common skills: Medical Devices, Sales Management, Healthcare | Largest job functions: Sales, Engineering, Operations | What you should know: Virtual leadership has become a key skill for Stryker after many of its face-to-face interactions went online during the pandemic. For staff, the firm provided office equipment for those working remotely and free meals for essential workers required to come into the office.
24. Bristol Myers Squibb (Pharmaceuticals)
Headcount in the UK: 1,160 | Top UK locations: Chester, London, Southall | Most common skills: Pharmaceutics, Healthcare, Oncology | Largest job functions: Research, Sales, Operations | What you should know: Pharmaceuticals giant Bristol Myers Squibb has been part of multiple global research efforts focused on combating Covid-19. It also adapted its working practices, with most staff working remotely and only essential staff working onsite.
25. G-Research (Capital Markets)
Headcount in the UK: 730 | Top UK locations: London | Most common skills: Software Development, Python (Programming Language), SQL | Largest job functions: Engineering, Information Technology, Finance | What you should know: The London-based quantitative finance research firm looks for people with a range of technology and mathematics skills. It also prides itself on hosting regular events – now virtual due to the pandemic – to allow knowledge sharing and learning opportunities.
*Source： LinkedIn News – Reported by: Siobhan Morrin, Emma Hudson and Katie Carroll.
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