The new Top Companies ranking, created by social media platform LinkedIn, has revealed the firms offering the best jobs in Switzerland in 2023. As the skills shortage continues, and companies explore creative ways to find and secure new workers, the report found that transport and pharmaceutical firms offer the most beneficial career and personal development.

Top Companies 2023 ranking for Switzerland

To create the study, LinkedIn analysed hundreds of Swiss-based domestic and international companies to see which employers provide the best job opportunities in Switzerland. The online platform noted that the ranking for 2023 has been released amid large and ongoing changes in the workplaces, as firms handle increased business after COVID, a reduced pool of available workers, so-called "quiet quitting" and the fallout from a move from office to hybrid working.

To see which firms are best, LinkedIn analysed all companies on their platform that had at least 500 members of staff and had not laid off more than 10 percent of their workforce between January 1, 2022 and April 19, 2023. It’s important to note that only parent and independent companies are ranked - so Proctor & Gamble (who own Gillette, Oral-B and Pantene) is counted as one company instead of multiple.

Specifically, each firm was graded on the following factors:

• Professional advancement of workers both within a company and after they leave
• Options for training and career development within the firm
• Company stability
• Job prospects once a worker leaves the firm
• Company affinity
• Gender distribution
• Employer reputation / relevance
• Average education level of employees

All these factors were combined to find the “25 places to work in Switzerland [to benefit] your timely professional development.”

Pharmaceutical firms dominate the Swiss ranking

In 2023, the American pharmaceutical giant - based in Zug - Bristol Myers Squibb took the top spot. LinkedIn concluded that the firm provides the best career and growth opportunities for both expats and domestic Swiss workers.

Swiss Federal Railways, the national public transport provider, took second place in the overall ranking and claimed the top spot for locally-owned firms. Procter & Gamble (manufacturing), Sonova Group (medical technology) and Roche (Biotechnology) rounded out the top five.

20 Minuten said that the list for 2023 is notable for the number of biological, chemical, medical and pharmaceutical companies that placed well on the ranking. This is in stark contrast to last year when the top of the ranking was near-monopolised by Swiss banks and insurance providers.

10 best employers in Switzerland in 2023

In all, here are the 10 best employers in Switzerland in 2023, according to LinkedIn:

1. Bristol Myers Squibb (Pharmaceuticals)
2. Swiss Federal Railways (Public transport)
3. Procter & Gamble (Manufacturing)
4. Sonova Group (Medical technology)
5. Roche (Biotechnology)
6. Nestlé (Food)
7. Alphabet (Google, IT and tech services)
8. DSM (Biotechnology)
9. Lonza (Biotechnology)
10. Straumann Group (Medical technology)

For more information on how the study was created, and to see the rest of the ranking, check out the official website.

Thumb image credit: Shutterstock.com / Michael Derrer Fuchs