Banks and other financial industry companies make up more than half of LinkedIn's 2021 Singapore Top Companies List, released today. This is the first time the annual list, which identifies the best places for professionals to grow their careers, has been published for Singapore. It names a total of 15 companies, out of which nine are in the financial industry.

According to LinkedIn, the list is built by ranking 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; gender diversity and educational background. Only companies with 500 or more employees, which have had no more than 10 percent reduction of staff in the past year, are eligible for inclusion.

Singapore's three major banks—OCBC, DBS, and UOB—all feature on the list, as do Standard Chartered and Citi, with OCBC and Standard Chartered taking first and second place respectively. Three of the Big Four accounting firms—EY, PwC, and KPMG—are also ranked, as is one insurance firm, Prudential.

While the list does not examine why banking, accounting, and financial services firms score so highly for the professional growth of employees, LinkedIn has suggested that the results “reflect the strength of the banking sector in the country, which has proven to be resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

LinkedIn has also identified three common trends among companies on the list. They tend to place a high priority on skilling their workforce, they invest heavily in digital capabilities, and they focus on supporting employee well-being even during periods of crisis.

The full list of top Singapore companies as ranked by LinkedIn is:

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