LinkedIn ranks top brands in SG putting employee growth first

LinkedIn has identified a list of companies which it deems are best placed to help employees grow their professional careers. The 2021 LinkedIn top companies list currently has many companies hiring, with more than 1,700 roles available in Singapore right now. This is the first time the list is being published in Singapore.

Here are the companies on the 2021 Singapore top companies list:

1. OCBC Bank
2. Standard Chartered Bank
3. Unilever
4. EY
5. UOB
6. Citi
7. Accenture
8. ST Engineering
9. FairPrice Group
10. Sea
11. IBM
12. PwC
13. KPMG
14. Prudential plc
15. DBS Bank

The rest of the list is dominated by companies whose products and services helped make people’s lives better during the pandemic – from technology, accounting, financial services to engineering sectors. All of the companies are investing in employee success, career development, and equity and inclusion, to ensure they continue to be among the best workplaces for employee growth as they embark upon a post-pandemic world. Chris Anderson, senior news editor, APAC, at LinkedIn said the best companies that have put their employees first by implementing various policies around well-being and mental health, and helped them get back on their feet, through training and development programmes.

Making strong investments in digital capabilities: Companies that bet big on digital capabilities also dominate the list, as this allowed them to pivot quickly amidst disruptions caused by the pandemic. Sea (#10) saw both its eCommerce and gaming business boom during the pandemic as people turned to online shopping for their daily necessities and for entertainment. More recently, it was awarded with a digital full bank license, which will allow the company to further ride the waves of the digital economy. As part of accelerating its digital strategy, Standard Chartered Bank (#2) will launch a digital-only bank in Singapore, with the aim to provide better digital banking options for consumers. 

Prioritising skills: Many of the top companies have made commitments and launched programmes to develop employees’ skills to meet current and future job requirements. Recognising the importance of future-proofing their employees’ skill sets, ST Engineering (#8) partnered with educational institutions to train their employees in in-demand skills. EY (#4) also has its own virtual, corporate MBA programme, providing their employees an avenue to pick up future-focused skills. Prudential plc (#14) has offered machine learning training for all employees in an online certification exercise, to help employees better utilise data in their daily tasks.

Supporting their workforce through challenging times: In Singapore, firms in banking, accounting and financial services dominate the list of companies  with the inclusion of three banks in the Top 10 – OCBC Bank (#1), Standard Chartered Bank (#2) and UOB (#5). This reflects the strength of the banking sector in the country, which has proven to be resilient during the Covid-19 pandemic. With the accounting and financial services industries being represented by five companies, employers in the finance-related sector continue to be the workplaces of choice for professionals in the country.

Overall, companies are ahead of the game when it comes to supporting their talent pool, with programmes for flexible work arrangements and employee wellbeing, among others. OCBC Bank (#1) supported their employees by pledging no layoffs from the pandemic. Unilever (#3) announced a Global Day of Thanks, where employees enjoyed a day off as a reward for working hard amidst the pandemic. Accenture (#7) has also implemented several employee wellbeing initiatives, such as the Employee Assistance Programme, to ensure that their employees feel supported and cared for.