Social media giant LinkedIn has released its Top Companies 2025 list, highlighting the best large employers for individuals to grow their careers in the UK.
The list is based on eight pillars critical to career progression, including opportunities for advancement, skills growth, company stability, employee retention, workplace culture, gender diversity, and educational variety.
The list, which is dominated by tech firms, is topped by pharmaceutical manufacturing firm AstraZeneca.
The Cambridge-based firm however, is one of just four companies to make the list that is headquartered in the UK.
The other three UK-based firms to make the list are 6th placed Imperial Brands PLC, 12th placed Lloyds Banking Group and oil and gas industry giant Shell, which ranked in 15th.
Eligible companies must have had 5,000 or more global employees with at least 500 in the country as of 31st December 2024.
Attrition can be no higher than 10% over the methodology time period and organisations that have had layoffs of 10% or more of their workforce based on corporate announcements or public, reliable sources between 1st January 2024 and the list launch were ineligible.
US tech giants Apple and Google made the list in 9th and 17th place respectively, whilst Oracle, which was co-founded by the world’s fourth richest man Larry Ellison, ranked in 3rd.
There was some disappointment from the LinkedIn community with the lack of UK-based firms featuring on the list.
Bob Ensch, Green Party Candidate for 2025 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mayoral Election, commented: “How disappointing to read that so many of them are US corporations, when we should all be boycotting American businesses over the trade war Trump has just started!”
James Morgan, alcohol-free drinks innovator at Brimful Drinks, added: “Only 4 UK companies in top 25 – really?”
“And of those 1x big oil, 1 x big pharma and 1 x tobacco. Really? I think you need to revise your criteria.”
You can see the full list below:
| Rank | Company | Headquarters | Industry | Top UK Locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AstraZeneca | Cambridge, UK | Pharmaceutical manufacturing | Cambridge, London, Manchester |
| 2 | Vertex Pharmaceuticals | Boston, US | BioTech research | London, Oxford, Reading |
| 3 | Oracle | Austin, US | IT services and consulting | London, Reading, Manchester |
| 4 | CrowdStrike | Austin, US | Computer and network security | London, Reading |
| 5 | Medtronic | Minneapolis, US | Medical equipment manufacturing | London, Manchester, Watford |
| 6 | Imperial Brands PLC | Bristol, UK | Manufacturing | Bristol, London, Liverpool |
| 7 | PepsiCo | New York, US | Food and beverages services | Leicester, Reading, London |
| 8 | Stryker | Kalamazoo, US | Medical equipment manufacturing | London, Belfast, Manchester |
| 9 | Apple | California, US | Computer and electronics manufacturing | London, Manchester, Cambridge |
| 10 | FactSet | Connecticut, US | Financial services | London |
| 11 | Equinor | Stavanger, Norway | Oil and gas | London, Aberdeen, Norwich |
| 12 | Lloyds Banking Group | London, UK | Financial services | London, Edinburgh, Leeds |
| 13 | Sanofi | Paris, France | Pharmaceutical manufacturing | Reading, London, Cambridge |
| 14 | Booking Holdings | Connecticut, US | Technology, information and internet | Manchester, London, Cambridge |
| 15 | Shell | London, UK | Oil and gas | London, Aberdeen, Manchester |
| 16 | Bristol Myers Squibb | New Jersey, US | Pharmaceutical manufacturing | London, Cheshire West and Chester, Liverpool |
| 17 | California, US | Software development | London, Manchester, Cambridge | |
| 18 | SLB | Houston, US | Technology, information and internet | Aberdeen, London, Leeds |
| 19 | Zebra Technologies | Illinois, US | IT services and consulting | London, Glasgow, Edinburgh |
| 20 | Fortescue | Perth, Australia | Mining | Oxford, London, Coventry |
| 21 | Leonardo | Rome, Italy | Defence and space manufacturing | Edinburgh, London, Bristol |
| 22 | Tata Consultancy Services | Mumbai, India | IT services and consulting | London, Edinburgh, Reading |
| 23 | Boston Scientific | Massachusetts, US | Medical equipment manufacturing | London, Manchester |
| 24 | Unisys | Pennsylvania, US | IT services and consulting | Northampton, London |
| 25 | Bloomberg | New York, US | Financial services | London |