LinkedIn recently released its best employers in Chicago. They ranked the top 25 companies to grow your career. The diverse list includes big tech, retail, finance and health care.
Companies had to have at least 50 employees and were ranked using the following seven categories:
- Ability to advance
- Skills growth
- Company stability
- External opportunity
- Company affinity
- Gender diversity
- Educational background
Methodology
LinkedIn used its data to rank companies on the seven categories listed above. They defined those categories using the following:
- Ability to advance tracks employee promotions within a company and when they move to a new company, based on standardized job titles.
- Skills growth looks at how employees across the company are gaining skills while employed at the company, using standardized LinkedIn skills.
- Company stability tracks attrition over the past year, as well as the percentage of employees that stay at the company at least three years.
- External opportunity looks at recruiter outreach across employees at the company, signaling demand for workers coming from these companies.
- Company affinity, which seeks to measure how supportive a company’s culture is, looks at connection volume on LinkedIn among employees, controlled for company size.
- Gender diversity measures gender parity within a company.
- Finally, educational background examines the variety of educational attainment among employees, from no degree up to Ph.D. levels, reflecting a commitment to recruiting a wide range of professionals.
To be eligible, companies must have at least 50 employees as of April 30, 2021 in the city and reductions in staff (including attrition and layoffs) can be no higher than 10% (based on LinkedIn data and public announcements, respectively).
While LinkedIn’s annual Top Companies list includes only parent companies (data on majority-owned subsidiaries are incorporated into the parent company score), the city lists separate out subsidiaries from their parent companies. All data counts are normalized based on company size across the pool of companies eligible for the list.
The methodology time frame is May 1, 2020 through April 30, 2021. All of the data used is aggregated and/or de-identified.
LinkedIn excluded all staffing and recruiting firms, educational institutions and government agencies. It also excluded LinkedIn, its parent company Microsoft and Microsoft subsidiaries.
25. BMO Harris Bank
- Where the local office is located: The Loop (downtown) + branches throughout the metro area
- Full-time headcount: 12,000 (with 7,000 in Greater Chicago)
- Most common skills among Chicago employees: Commercial Banking, Financial Analysis, Risk Management
- Most common job titles in Chicago: Relationship Banker, Bank Manager, Customer Service Representative
24. UChicago Medicine
- Where the main campus is located: Hyde Park
- Full-time headcount: 12,400
- Most common skills among Chicago employees: Clinical Research, Healthcare Management, Patient Safety
- Most common job titles in Chicago: Registered Nurse, Resident Doctor, Research Assistant
23. NorthShore University HealthSystem
- Where the main campus is located: Evanston
- Full-time headcount: 10,500
- Most common skills among Chicago employees: Healthcare Management, Electronic Medical Record (EMR), Patient Safety
- Most common job titles in Chicago: Registered Nurse, Patient Care Technician, Medical Assistant
22. McDonald’s
- Where the local office is located: West Loop (corporate headquarters) + retail locations throughout the metro area
- Full-time headcount: 200,000
- Most common skills among Chicago employees: Process Improvement, Customer Satisfaction, Business Analysis
- Most common job titles in Chicago: Cashier, Food Service Worker, Manager
21. Grainger
- Where the local office is located: Lake Forest
- Full-time headcount: 21,800
- Most common skills among Chicago employees: Process Improvement, Cross-functional Team Leadership, Supply Chain Management
- Most common job titles in Chicago: Account Manager, Sourcing Specialist, Software Engineer
20. JLL
- Where the local office is located: East Loop (downtown)
- Full-time headcount: 91,000 (with 3,250 in Greater Chicago)
- Most common skills among Chicago employees: Financial Analysis, Budgeting, Property Management
- Most common job titles in Chicago: Accountant, Project Manager, Engineer
19. AMITA Health
- Where the local office is located: The Loop (downtown)
- Full-time headcount: 20,300
- Most common skills among Chicago employees: Patient Safety, Healthcare Management, Electronic Medical Record (EMR)
- Most common job titles in Chicago: Registered Nurse, Patient Care Technician, Medical Doctor
18. Aon
- Where the local office is located: The Loop (downtown)
- Full-time headcount: 50,000
- Most common skills among Chicago employees: Process Improvement, Risk Management, Business Analysis
- Most common job titles in Chicago: Account Specialist, Project Manager, System Analyst
17. KPMG
- Where the local office is located: East Loop (downtown)
- Full-time headcount: 220,000 (with 2,550 in Greater Chicago)
- Most common skills among Chicago employees: Financial Analysis, Accounting, Data Analysis
- Most common job titles in Chicago: Associate, Manager, Managing Director
16. Medline Industries
- Where the local office is located: Northfield
- Full-time headcount: 27,000 (with 5,100 in Greater Chicago)
- Most common skills among Chicago employees: Process Improvement, Product Management, Cross-functional Team Leadership
- Most common job titles in Chicago: Product Manager, Account Manager, Salesperson
15. Northwestern Medicine
- Where the main campus is located: Downtown + patient care facilities throughout the metro area
- Full-time headcount: 33,700
- Most common skills among Chicago employees: Healthcare Management, Electronic Medical Record (EMR), Patient Safety
- Most common job titles in Chicago: Registered Nurse, Patient Service Representative, Patient Access Specialist
13. Amazon
- Where the local office is located: The Loop (downtown) + operation centers throughout the metro area
- Full-time headcount: 1,298,000 (with 23,000 in Greater Chicago)
- Most common skills among Chicago employees: Operations Management, Inventory Management, Data Analysis
- Most common job titles in Chicago: Fulfillment Associate, Area Manager, Delivery Driver
13. CDW
- Where the local office is located: West Loop (downtown)
- Full-time headcount: 10,000
- Most common skills among Chicago employees: Cloud Computing, Solution Selling, Sales Process
- Most common job titles in Chicago: Account Manager, Solutions Architect, Sales Operations Supervisor
12. PwC
- Where the local office is located: The Loop (downtown)
- Full-time headcount: 284,250
- Most common skills among Chicago employees: Accounting, Financial Reporting, Data Analysis
- Most common job titles in Chicago: Associate, Director, Manager
11. Rush University Medical Center
- Where the main campus is located: Near West Side
- Full-time headcount: 12,000
- Most common skills among Chicago employees: Clinical Research, Healthcare Management, Patient Safety
- Most common job titles in Chicago: Registered Nurse, Medical Doctor, Administrative Assistant
10. EY
- Where the local office is located: West Loop (downtown)
- Full-time headcount: 298,950 (with 3,800 in Greater Chicago)
- Most common skills among Chicago employees: Financial Analysis, Accounting, Data Analysis
- Most common job titles in Chicago: Manager, Consultant, Assurance Specialist
9. Abbott
- Where the local office is located: North Chicago
- Full-time headcount: 109,000 (with 5,400 in Greater Chicago)
- Most common skills among Chicago employees: Cross-Functional Team Leadership, Process Improvement, Quality Assurance
- Most common job titles in Chicago: Administrative Assistant, Scientist, Project Manager
8. Northern Trust Corporation
- Where the local office is located: The Loop (downtown)
- Full-time headcount: 20,900 (with 6,000 in Greater Chicago)
- Most common skills among Chicago employees: Financial Analysis, Risk Management, Investments
- Most common job titles in Chicago: Analyst, Finance Officer, Technical Coordinator
7. Walgreens
- Where the local office is located: The Loop (downtown) + retail locations throughout the metro area
- Full-time headcount.: 223,000 (with 4,100 in Greater Chicago)
- Most common skills among Chicago employees: Inventory Management, Merchandising, Process Improvement
- Most common job titles in Chicago: Pharmacy Technician, Pharmacist, Customer Service Technician
6. JPMorgan Chase&Co.
- Where the local office is located: The Loop (downtown) + work sites in Elgin, Downers Grove, Wheaton and Naperville
- Full-time headcount: 255,350 (with 14,000 in Greater Chicago) | Most common skills among Chicago employees: Business Analysis, Risk Management, Financial Analysis
- Most common job titles in Chicago: Software Engineer, Banker, Branch Manager
5. Allstate
- Where the local office is located: Northbrook
- Full-time headcount: 41,900
- Most common skills among Chicago employees: Process Improvement, Business Analysis, Casualty Insurance
- Most common job titles in Chicago: Project Manager, Insurance Agent, Business Analyst
4. Discover FInancial Services
- Where the local office is located: Riverwoods (headquarters), River North (downtown) and Chatham
- Full-time headcount: 17,600 (with 4,850 in Greater Chicago)
- Most common skills among Chicago employees: SQL, Business Analysis, Risk Management
- Most common job titles in Chicago: Project Manager, Software Engineer, Product Owner
3. Accenture
- Where the local office is located: The Loop (downtown)
- Full-time headcount: 569,000 (with 6,000 in Greater Chicago)
- Most common skills among Chicago employees: Business Analysis, Program Management, Business Process Improvement
- Most common job titles in Chicago: Manager, Managing Director, Consultant
2. Deloitte
- Where the local office is located: The Loop (downtown)
- Full-time headcount: 330,000 (with 5,000 in Greater Chicago)
- Most common skills among Chicago employees: Business Analysis, Data Analysis, Business Process Improvement
- Most common job titles in Chicago: Manager, Consultant, Auditor
1. AbbVie
- Where the local office is located: North Chicago
- Full-time headcount: 47,000 (with 9,750 in Greater Chicago)
- Most common skills among Chicago employees: Cross-functional Team Leadership, Clinical Trials, Process Improvement
- Most common job titles in Chicago: Research Scientist, Administrative Assistant, Project Manager
Kaitlyn Farley
Kaitlyn is MediaFeed’s senior editor. She is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, specializing in social justice and investigative reporting. She has worked at various radio stations and newsrooms, covering higher-education, local politics, natural disasters and investigative and watchdog stories related to Title IX and transparency issues.
