PHOTO
Dubai, United Arab Emirates: LinkedIn, the world's largest professional network, has released its annual list of Top Companies for the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
LinkedIn Top Companies is an annual list fueled by exclusive LinkedIn data that helps professionals identify the top workplaces to grow their careers. The list uncovers the organizations leading the way in growth and learning opportunities for their employees, equity in the workplace, and strong company culture.
The Top Companies list is a guide for professionals at any stage of their career, whether it’s the ones planning to change paths, those who are jumping back into the workforce after a hiatus, or even individuals seeking to enhance their skills.
According to LinkedIn data, a majority of regional professionals are considering switching jobs this year and the UAE has seen a growth in hiring over the last 12 months. Against this economic backdrop, this list highlights the employers that are perceived to have a workplace and culture that is supportive of their employees’ careers and ambitions.
Key trends observed from this year’s Top Companies list:
- Consulting surges up the leaderboard in the UAE
- Top global business consulting firms dominate the 2024 league table in the UAE. Bain & Company took the gold medal with the top spot in 2024, with Kearney coming in 4th, BCG at 6th and McKinsey rounding out the business consulting cohort at 9th.
- stc is the new Top Company in Saudi Arabia
- After three back-to-back years at the top of the table, Aramco has dropped to third place with the telecommunications company, stc, taking the top spot. Hospitality megaproject, Red Sea Global retains its second-place position for the second year in a row.
- Entertainment enters the fray
- Entertainment companies Miral and Saudi Entertainment Ventures | SEVEN, have joined the Top 15 Companies in the UAE and KSA in 2024.
- Both companies took 10th place in their respective countries, which shows the rise of the entertainment industry across the region.
Salma Altantawy, Senior News Editor at LinkedIn said, "This year’s lists show how companies in the UAE and Saudi Arabia are continuing to grow and expand, which further cements the region’s reputation as a leading business hub. ”
Altantawy continued: “Our research has previously indicated professionals’ appetite for new career moves in 2024, and this list recognizes those employers that can be a top choice for professionals looking to make those moves.”
Top 15 Companies in the UAE:
| Companies | Industry |
| Bain & Company | Business Consulting and Services |
| Mastercard | Finance, IT Services and IT Consulting |
| Procter & Gamble | Manufacturing |
| Kearney | Business Consulting and Services |
| Emirates | Airlines and Aviation |
| Boston Consulting Group (BCG) | Business Consulting and Services |
| Majid Al Futtaim | Retail |
| DP World | Transportation, logistics, supply chain and storage |
| McKinsey & Company | Business Consulting and Services |
| Miral | Entertainment Providers |
| Visa | Finance, IT Services and IT Consulting |
| ADNOC Group | Oil and Gas |
| Schneider Electric | Automation Machinery Manufacturing |
| Marsh McLennan | Financial Services |
| HSBC | Financial Services |
Top 15 Companies in Saudi Arabia:
| Companies | Industry |
| stc | Telecommunications |
| Red Sea Global | Hospitality |
| Aramco | Oil and Gas |
| Ceer | Motor Vehicle Manufacturing |
| ROSHN l روشن | Real Estate |
| Riyad Bank | Banking |
| SAUDI AIRLINES | Airlines and Aviation |
| Procter & Gamble | Manufacturing |
| Chalhoub Group | Retail Luxury Goods and Jewelry |
| Saudi Entertainment Ventures | SEVEN | Entertainment Providers |
| SAB | Financial Services |
| Hitachi | Appliances, Electrical, and Electronics Manufacturing |
| Mobily | Telecommunications |
| EY | Professional Services |
| PwC | Professional Services |
-Ends-
Methodology
Our methodology uses LinkedIn data to rank companies based on seven pillars that have been shown to lead to career progression: ability to advance; skills growth; company stability; external opportunity; company affinity; and employee mix and gender diversity.
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. Employee Mix and Gender Diversity tracks spread of educational backgrounds from no degree through to doctorates and gender parity within a company and its subsidiaries.
The methodology time frame is January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023, and the methodology data only looks at company employees within the associated country. The same pillars are evaluated for both midsize and large lists.
To be eligible, companies must have at least 500 full-time employees in the country.
Only parent companies rank on the list; majority-owned subsidiaries and data about those subsidiaries are incorporated into the parent company score. This analysis represents the world seen through the lens of LinkedIn data, drawn from the anonymized and aggregated profile information of LinkedIn's members around the world.
We exclude all staffing and recruiting firms, educational institutions and government agencies. We also exclude LinkedIn, its parent company Microsoft and Microsoft subsidiaries. Companies who have laid off 10% or more of their workforce within the methodology time frame, based on public announcements, are also ineligible.
About LinkedIn
LinkedIn connects the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful and transforms the way companies hire, learn, market, and sell. Our vision is to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce through the ongoing development of the world’s first Economic Graph. LinkedIn has over 900 million members and has offices around the globe. www.linkedin.com / mobile.linkedin.com
