For the past four years, LinkedIn, now owned by Microsoft, has used its vast trove of data to produce meaningful labour market research and publish its findings annually.
In this ranking, the company presents a list of 15 large companies offering the best career growth opportunities in Singapore, following a fairly strict methodology, based on eight pillars that it has identified as leading to career progression:
- Ability to advance – tracking employee promotions within a company.
- Skills growth – skills that employees gain during their time in the company.
- Company stability – a blend of attrition rates (companies which shed more than 10 per cent of the workforce in a given year are automatically disqualified) and employee retention of 3 years or more.
- External opportunity – tracking recruiter outreach to employees from the ranked companies.
- Company affinity – how closely workers bond with each other and how supportive the business is of its teams.
- Gender diversity – gender parity in the company and its subsidiaries.
- Educational background – looking at the variety of educational attainment among its employees, signalling openness to hiring people with diverse backgrounds.
- Employee presence in the country – the number of employees in the country relative to competing businesses.
In addition, the companies must have employed at least 500 people in Singapore as of Dec. 31, 2023.
All staffing companies, educational institutions and government are excluded from the ranking, as are both LinkedIn and its parent, Microsoft, to avoid accusations of bias.
Top Companies for 2024 according to LinkedIn
| Rank | Company | Industry | Details |
| 1 | DBS | Banking | Most notable skills: Commercial Banking, Criminal Law, Intellectual Property Most common job titles: Business Development Officer, Wealth Manager, Software Engineer Largest job functions: Finance, Engineering, Business Development |
| 2 | Schneider Electric | Automation Machinery Manufacturing | Most notable skills: Power Systems, Electronic Control Systems, Utilities, Instrumentation Most common job titles: Account Manager, Project Manager Largest job functions: Engineering, Sales, Operations |
| 3 | Standard Chartered | Banking | Most notable skills: Commercial Banking, Capital Markets, Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Most common job titles: Business Analyst, Business Development Officer, Product Team Manager Largest job functions: Finance, Business Development, Information Technology |
| 4 | American Express | Financial Services | Most notable skills: Travel Management, Commercial Banking, Sales Leads Most common job titles: Relationship Manager, Data Science Manager, Director Largest job functions: Sales, Business Development, Finance |
| 5 | OCBC Bank | Banking | Most notable skills: Commercial Banking, Insurance, Investment Banking Most common job titles: Business Development Officer, Financial Advisor, Financial Planner Largest job functions: Finance, Business Development, Sales * Remote job availability: 19.64% Hybrid |
| 6 | Singlife | Insurance | Most notable skills: Insurance, FinTech Most common job titles: Relationship Consultant, Application Developer, Claims Specialist Largest job functions: Business Development, Information Technology, Operations and Claims |
| 7 | Procter & Gamble | Manufacturing | Most notable skills: Inorganic Chemistry, Cosmetology, Retail Packaging Most common job titles: Brand Manager, Director of Business Development, Brand Director Largest job functions: Operations, Research, Marketing |
| 8 | BD | Medical Equipment Manufacturing | Most notable skills: Biomedical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, Product Testing Most common job titles: Manufacturing Engineer, Technical Support Specialist Largest job functions: Operations, Engineering, Information Technology |
| 9 | Abbott | Hospitals and Health Care | Most notable skills: Biomedical Engineering, Pharmaceutics, Product Testing Most common job titles: Assistant, Salesperson, Marketing Manager Largest job functions: Operations, Sales, Marketing |
| 10 | Mastercard | IT Services and IT Consulting | Most notable skills: Growth Strategies, Competitive Strategies, Management Accounting Most common job titles: Product Manager Largest job functions: Business Development, Product Management, Sales * Remote job availability: 98.36% Hybrid |
| 11 | Takeda | Pharmaceutical Manufacturing | Most notable skills: Oncology, Pharmaceutics, Medicine Most common job titles: Biotechnologist, Manufacturing Supervisor, Process Engineer Largest job functions: Research, Operations, Quality Assurance |
| 12 | Roche | Biotechnology Research | Most notable skills: Pathology, Physiology, Genetic Engineering Most common job titles: Quality Assurance Specialist Largest job functions: Research, Operations, Quality Assurance |
| 13 | S&P Global | Financial Services | Most notable skills: Journalism, Competitive Strategies, Capital Markets Most common job titles: Editor Largest job functions: Business Development, Media and Communication, Sales |
| 14 | Alphabet Inc. | Technology | Most notable skills: Competitive Strategies, Partner Development, Politics Most common job titles: Software Engineer, Program Manager, Account Manager Largest job functions: Business Development, Engineering, Marketing * Remote job availability: 70.37% Remote |
| 15 | HSBC | Banking | Most notable skills: Commercial Banking, Investment Banking, Capital Markets Most common job titles: Client Manager, Business Development Officer, Financial Planner Largest job functions: Finance, Sales, Business Development * Remote job availability: 31.48% Hybrid |
Financial hub
As you can see, despite Singapore attracting innovative tech companies, the ranking remains dominated by the old guard from the financial sector.
It doesn’t seem that it is likely to change anytime soon since every major business needs money to operate, so it’s only natural for a business hub to become a financial one as well.
The process is only accelerated by Hong Kong’s slow demise following the rather abrupt end to the liberties it enjoyed not so long ago. Intensifying competition between China and the West, prompting forecasts of inevitable decoupling and diversification, will draw billions of dollars away from the PRC and HK, with Singapore in a prime position to benefit from it.
But beyond finance, excellent employers are found in several branches of science and technology—healthcare, pharmaceuticals, machinery, biotech, or IT.
If you happen to be graduating in a STEM field you shouldn’t be starved of career opportunities — as well as future prospects in any of the listed companies.
Even though the job market is changing quickly, it is still possible to have a long, successful career in one place. According to LinkedIn’s data, these companies appear to stand out in 2024.