June 08, 2021
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Forbes' 2021 list of the best employers for new grads was based on a survey of 20,000 Americans who were given anonymity to provide feedback about their places of work.
The last two classes of college graduates have had an unusual introduction to the workforce under the circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic. Getting an accurate read on the culture and benefits of a workplace is challenging during the best of times, but new grads are facing an especially difficult and uncertain transition.
To help guide new graduates, Forbes recently released a list of the top 250 companies in the United States for people fresh out of college. The rankings, developed in partnership with Statista, are based on an anonymous survey of 20,000 Americans with less than 10 years of professional experience who are working for businesses with at least 1,000 employees.
Survey questions covered issues such as competitiveness of compensation, opportunities for advancement, diversity and inclusion and workplace safety. Participants were asked to share how likely they would be to recommend their employer to others or to nominate organizations outside their own.
Eight Philadelphia are companies made the top 250, shown in the chart below:
| Company | Rank | Industry | Location |
| Penn Medicine | 44 | Healthcare & Social | Philadelphia |
| Vanguard | 57 | Banking & Financial Services | Malvern |
| SAP America | 90 | IT, Internet, Software, Services | Newtown Square |
| Five Below | 100 | Retail & Wholesale | Philadelphia |
| IKEA | 136 | Retail & Wholesale | Conshohocken |
| University of Pennsylvania | 211 | Education | Philadelphia |
| Commonwealth of Pennsylvania | 213 | Government Services | Harrisburg |
| Burlington Stores | 240 | Clothing, Shoes, Sports Equipment | Burlington |
Forbes said this year's list of top employers holds just as much weight for last year's graduating class as the class of 2021. About 45% of 2020 graduates are still looking for work, according to a Monster survey, and many are just as concerned with the right fit and mission as they are with earning a paycheck.
"Today’s graduates want more than the job," said Mark Woodrum, head of campus recruiting at the healthcare technology company Philips, which ranked 6th on Forbes' 2021 list. "They want to be part of a company that is making the world a better place."
Here are Forbes' top 10 companies for new grads in 2021:
1. Merck & Co. — Kenilworth, N.J.
2. Southwest Airlines - Dallas, Texas
3. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center - Dallas, Texas
4. University of Alabama, Birmingham - Birmingham, Ala.
5. Trader Joe's - Monrovia, Calif.
6. Philips - Amsterdam, Netherlands/Cambridge Crossing, Mass.
7. Hard Rock International - Davie, Fla.
8. Help At Home - Chicago, Ill.
9. Costco Wholesale - Issaquah, Wash.
10. Ecolab - Saint Paul, Minn.
