eFinancialCareers Ideal Employer Rankings 2018

Welcome to the 2018 eFinancialCareers Ideal Employer rankings. Our annual rankings track the employers financial services professionals most want to work for and admire.

For the third consecutive year, more than 6,000 finance professionals told us their top 3 ideal employers, what they perceived their key strengths to be and the most important attributes they look for in an ideal employer.

Ideal Employer 2018 – Global Top 30

The following 30 companies represent the most popular employers that more than 6,000 finance professionals around the globe would ideally like to work for.

Analysis

Employer Rankings – Global Top 30

Goldman Sachs
Rank #1
2017 Rank #2

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Competitive salary  
  • Competitive bonus
  • Established leader in the industry
JP Morgan
Rank #2
2017 Rank #1

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Competitive bonus
  • Competitive salary
  • Financial performance/ strength of the firm
Google
Rank #3
2017 Rank #3

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Flexible working options
  • Company perks
  • Innovator in the industry
Morgan Stanley
Rank #4
2017 Rank #4

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Competitive bonus
  • Competitive salary 
  • Progressive on issues like diversity, CSR
  • Is a good corporate citizen
BlackRock
Rank #5
2017 Rank #6

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Innovator in the industry
  • Established leader in the industry
  • Financial performance/ strength of the firm
Citi
Rank #6
2017 Rank #5

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Progressive on issues like diversity, CSR
  • Is a good corporate citizen
  • Open/ transparent communication
HSBC
Rank #7
2017 Rank #7

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Managable work hours
  • Flexible working options
  • Open/ transparent communication
UBS
Rank #8
2017 Rank #8

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Managable working hours
  • Progressive on issues like diversity, CSR
  • Is a good corporate citizen
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Rank #9
2017 Rank #8

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Solid training and development
  • Is a good corporate citizen
  • Progressive on issues like diversity, CSR
Credit Suisse
Rank #10
2017 Rank #10

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Competitive salary
  • Office environment
  • Manageable working hours
McKinsey & Company
Rank #11
2017 Rank #13

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Solid training and development
  • Challenging / interesting work
  • Established leader in the industry
PWC
Rank #12
2017 Rank #11

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Solid training and development
  • Positive organisational culture
  • Flexible working options
Deutsche Bank
Rank #13
2017 Rank #17

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Manageable working hours
  • Benefits
  • Progressive on issues like diversity, CSR
Amazon
Rank #14
2017 Rank #26

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Flexible working options
  • Innovator in the industry
  • Strong executive leadership
Deloitte
Rank #15
2017 Rank #12

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Opportunities for promotion
  • Benefits
  • Flexible working options
Blackstone Group
Rank #16
2017 Rank #19

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Competitive salary
  • Competitive bonus
  • Strong executive leadership
Facebook
Rank #16
2017 Rank #15

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Flexible working options
  • Company perks 
  • Office environment
Barclays
Rank #18
2017 Rank #14

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Manageable working hours
  • Progressive on issues like diversity, CSR
  • Is a good corporate citizen
Standard Chartered
Rank #19
2017 Rank #20

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Manageable working hours
  • Flexible working options
  • Open/ transparent communication
DBS Bank
Rank #20
2017 Rank #18

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Innovator in the industry
  • Positive organisational culture
  • Manageable working hours
KPMG
Rank #21
2017 Rank #21

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Open/ transparent communication
  • Positive organisational culture
  • Flexible working options
EY
Rank #22
2017 Rank #22

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Manageable working hours
  • Open/ transparent communication
  • Flexible working options
Apple
Rank #23
2017 Rank #16

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Innovator in the industry
  • Flexible working options
  • Company perks
Microsoft
Rank #24
2017 Rank #24

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Manageable working hours
  • Flexible working options
  • Company perks
BNP Paribas
Rank #25
2017 Rank #23

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Manageable working hours
  • Benefits
  • Progressive on issues like diversity, CSR
Boston Consulting Group
Rank #26
2017 Rank #25

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Competitive salary
  • Challenging / interesting work
  • Solid training and development programs
Bloomberg
Rank #27
2017 Rank #29

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Solid training and development programmes
  • Open/ transparent communication
  • Innovator in the industry
KKR
Rank #28
2017 Rank #28

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Competitive salary
  • Competitive bonus
  • Challenging/ interesting work 
Bain & Company
Rank #29
2017 Rank #27

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Competitive salary
  • Competitive bonus
  • Strong executive leadership
Citadel
Rank #30
2017 Rank #39

Employer Brand Key Strengths

  • Competitive salary
  • Competitive bonus
  • Innovator in the industry

Ideal Employer 2018 – UK Top 20

The following 20 companies represent the most popular employers that UK based finance professionals would ideally like to work for.

Analysis

Employer Rankings – UK Top 20

Goldman Sachs
Rank #1
2017 Rank #1
JP Morgan
Rank #2
2017 Rank #2
Google
Rank #3
2017 Rank #4
Morgan Stanley
Rank #4
2017 Rank #3
BlackRock
Rank #5
2017 Rank #6
HSBC
Rank #6
2017 Rank #5
UBS
Rank #7
2017 Rank #11
Barclays
Rank #8
2017 Rank #6
Citi
Rank #9
2017 Rank #8
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Rank #10
2017 Rank #9
Deutsche Bank
Rank #11
2017 Rank #15
PWC
Rank #11
2017 Rank #9
McKinsey & Company
Rank #13
2017 Rank #12
Credit Suisse
Rank #14
2017 Rank #13
Blackstone Group
Rank #15
2017 Rank #20
EY
Rank #16
2017 Rank #17
Amazon
Rank #17
2017 Rank #30
Deloitte
Rank #18
2017 Rank #14
Lloyds Bank
Rank #19
2017 Rank #18
KPMG
Rank #19
2017 Rank #21

Ideal Employer 2018 – US Top 20

The following 20 companies represent the most popular employers that US based finance professionals would ideally like to work for.

Analysis

Employer Rankings – US Top 20

Goldman Sachs
Rank #1
2017 Rank #1
JP Morgan
Rank #2
2017 Rank #2
Google
Rank #3
2017 Rank #3
Morgan Stanley
Rank #4
2017 Rank #4
BlackRock
Rank #5
2017 Rank #5
Amazon
Rank #6
2017 Rank #11
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Rank #7
2017 Rank #6
Blackstone Group
Rank #8
2017 Rank #7
Citi
Rank #9
2017 Rank #8
UBS
Rank #10
2017 Rank #15
McKinsey & Company
Rank #10
2017 Rank #10
Wells Fargo
Rank #12
2017 Rank #11
Apple
Rank #13
2017 Rank #13
Deloitte
Rank #14
2017 Rank #9
Deutsche Bank
Rank #15
2017 Rank #18
Two Sigma
Rank #16
2017 Rank #28
Bloomberg
Rank #16
2017 Rank #25
PWC
Rank #18
2017 Rank #16
Facebook
Rank #18
2017 Rank #13
Bridgewater Associates
Rank #20
2017 Rank #28
Citadel
Rank #20
2017 Rank #25
Credit Suisse
Rank #20
2017 Rank #18

Ideal Employer 2018 – Asia Top 20

The following 20 companies represent the most popular employers that Asian based finance professionals would ideally like to work for.

Analysis

Employer Rankings – Asia Top 20

Google
Rank #1
2017 Rank #3
JP Morgan
Rank #2
2017 Rank #1
Goldman Sachs
Rank #3
2017 Rank #2
DBS Bank
Rank #4
2017 Rank #4
UBS
Rank #5
2017 Rank #5
Citi
Rank #6
2017 Rank #6
Standard Chartered
Rank #7
2017 Rank #9
Facebook
Rank #8
2017 Rank #10
Credit Suisse
Rank #9
2017 Rank #7
HSBC
Rank #10
2017 Rank #11
Morgan Stanley
Rank #11
2017 Rank #8
OCBC Bank
Rank #12
2017 Rank #12
BlackRock
Rank #13
2017 Rank #15
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Rank #14
2017 Rank #13
Deutsche Bank
Rank #15
2017 Rank #18
Apple
Rank #16
2017 Rank #14
PWC
Rank #17
2017 Rank #19
Barclays
Rank #17
2017 Rank #42
Microsoft
Rank #19
2017 Rank #21
Amazon
Rank #20
2017 Rank #30
UOB
Rank #20
2017 Rank #16

Ideal Employer 2018 – France Top 10

The following 10 companies represent the most popular employers that France based finance professionals would ideally like to work for.

Analysis

Employer Rankings – France Top 10

Goldman Sachs
Rank #1
JP Morgan
Rank #2
BNP Paribas
Rank #3
BlackRock
Rank #4
Morgan Stanley
Rank #5
Société Générale
Rank #6

 

 

HSBC
Rank #6
Google
Rank #6
Rothschild & Co
Rank #9
McKinsey & Company
Rank #9

Ideal Employer 2018 - Asset Management Top 10

The following 10 companies represent the most popular asset managers that finance professionals would ideally like to work for.

Analysis

Employer Rankings – Asset Management Top 10

BlackRock
Rank #1
2017 Rank #1
Fidelity
Rank #2
2017 Rank #2
PIMCO
Rank #3
2017 Rank #3
Schroders
Rank #4
2017 Rank #5
Vanguard
Rank #5
2017 Rank #6
Wellington Management Company
Rank #6
2017 Rank #4
Capital Group
Rank #6
2017 Rank #8
Standard Life Aberdeen
Rank #8
Jane Street Capital
Rank #8
M&G Group
Rank #10
2017 Rank #7

Ideal Employer 2018 - Banks Top 10

The following 10 banks represent the most popular employers that finance professionals would ideally like to work for.

Analysis

Employer Rankings – Banks Top 10

Goldman Sachs
Rank #1
2017 Rank #2
JP Morgan
Rank #2
2017 Rank #1
Morgan Stanley
Rank #3
2017 Rank #3
Citi
Rank #4
2017 Rank #4
HSBC
Rank #5
2017 Rank #5
UBS
Rank #6
2017 Rank #6
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Rank #7
2017 Rank #6
Credit Suisse
Rank #8
2017 Rank #8
Deutsche Bank
Rank #9
2017 Rank #10
Barclays
Rank #10
2017 Rank #9

Ideal Employer 2018 - Hedge Funds Top 10

The following 10 companies represent the most popular employers that finance professionals would ideally like to work for.

Analysis

Employer Rankings – Hedge Funds Top 10

Citadel
Rank #1
2017 Rank #1
Bridgewater Associates
Rank #2
2017 Rank #2
Two Sigma
Rank #3
2017 Rank #4
Renaissance Technologies
Rank #4
2017 Rank #6
Point 72 Asset Management
Rank #5
2017 Rank #8
MAN Group
Rank #6
AQR Capital Management
Rank #7
2017 Rank #5
D.E. Shaw
Rank #8
Oaktree Capital Management
Rank #8
2017 Rank #14
Brevan Howard
Rank #8
2017 Rank #8
Millennium Partners
Rank #8
2017 Rank #12

Ideal Employer 2018 - Private Equity Top 10

The following 10 companies represent the most popular private equity and venture capital firms that finance professionals would ideally like to work for.

Analysis

Employer Rankings – Private Equity Top 10

Blackstone Group
Rank #1
2017 Rank #1
KKR
Rank #2
2017 Rank #2
The Carlyle Group
Rank #3
2017 Rank #3
Abu Dhabi Investment Authority
Rank #4
2017 Rank #7
GIC
Rank #5
2017 Rank #4
CVC Capital Partners
Rank #6
2017 Rank #10
Apollo Global Management
Rank #6
2017 Rank #5
Temasek
Rank #8
2017 Rank #6
TPG
Rank #9
Sequoia Capital
Rank #9
2017 Rank #8
Partners Group
Rank #9

Ideal Employer 2018 - Professional Services Global Top 10

The following 10 companies represent the most popular professional services firms that finance professionals would ideally like to work for.

Analysis

Employer Rankings – Professional Services Top 10

McKinsey & Company
Rank #1
2017 Rank #3
PWC
Rank #2
2017 Rank #1
Deloitte
Rank #3
2017 Rank #2
KPMG
Rank #4
2017 Rank #4
EY
Rank #5
2017 Rank #5
Boston Consulting Group
Rank #6
2017 Rank #6
Bloomberg
Rank #7
2017 Rank #8
Bain & Co
Rank #8
2017 Rank #7
Accenture
Rank #9
2017 Rank #9
Thomson Reuters
Rank #10
2017 Rank #11

Ideal Employer 2018 - Technology Global Top 10

The following 10 companies represent the most popular technology firms that finance professionals would ideally like to work for.

Analysis

Employer Rankings – Tech Top 10

Google
Rank #1
2017 Rank #1
Amazon
Rank #2
2017 Rank #5
Facebook
Rank #3
2017 Rank #2
Apple
Rank #4
2017 Rank #3
Microsoft
Rank #5
2017 Rank #4
IBM
Rank #6
2017 Rank #6
Tesla
Rank #7
Salesforce
Rank #8
2017 Rank #9
PayPal
Rank #9
Alibaba
Rank #9
2017 Rank #15
Oracle
Rank #9
2017 Rank #11

Ideal Employer 2018 - Female Global Top 10

The following 10 companies represent the most popular employers that female finance professionals would ideally like to work for.

Analysis

Employer Rankings – Global Top 10 Female

JP Morgan
Rank #1
2017 Rank #1
Goldman Sachs
Rank #2
2017 Rank #2
Google
Rank #3
2017 Rank #3
Morgan Stanley
Rank #4
2017 Rank #4
HSBC
Rank #5
2017 Rank #6
UBS
Rank #6
2017 Rank #8
Citi
Rank #7
2017 Rank #5
BlackRock
Rank #8
2017 Rank #12
PWC
Rank #9
2017 Rank #10
Deloitte
Rank #10
2017 Rank #9

Ideal Employer 2018 - Male Global Top 10

The following 10 companies represent the most popular employers that male finance professionals would ideally like to work for.

Analysis

Employer Rankings – Global Top 10 Male

Goldman Sachs
Rank #1
2017 Rank #1
JP Morgan
Rank #2
2017 Rank #2
Google
Rank #3
2017 Rank #4
Morgan Stanley
Rank #4
2017 Rank #3
BlackRock
Rank #5
2017 Rank #5
Citi
Rank #6
2017 Rank #7
UBS
Rank #7
2017 Rank #9
HSBC
Rank #8
2017 Rank #6
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Rank #9
2017 Rank #8
McKinsey & Company
Rank #10
2017 Rank #10

Ideal Employer 2018 - Graduates Global Top 10

The following 10 companies represent the most popular companies that finance students and graduates would ideally like to work for.

Analysis

Employer Rankings – Graduates Top 10

Goldman Sachs
Rank #1
JP Morgan
Rank #2
Morgan Stanley
Rank #3
Google
Rank #4
PWC
Rank #5
Deloitte
Rank #6
McKinsey & Company
Rank #7
Deutsche Bank
Rank #8
Citi
Rank #9
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Rank #10
HSBC
Rank #10

Ideal Employer 2018 – 18 to 25 Year-olds

The following 10 companies represent the most popular employers that 18 to 25 year-old finance professionals would ideally like to work for.

Analysis

Employer Rankings – 18 to 25 Year-olds Top 10

Goldman Sachs
Rank #1
2017 Rank #1
JP Morgan
Rank #2
2017 Rank #2
Morgan Stanley
Rank #3
2017 Rank #3
Google
Rank #4
2017 Rank #4
McKinsey & Company
Rank #5
2017 Rank #8
PWC
Rank #6
2017 Rank #5
Deloitte
Rank #7
2017 Rank #6
Citi
Rank #8
2017 Rank #10
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Rank #9
2017 Rank #9
BlackRock
Rank #10
2017 Rank #7

Ideal Employer 2018 – 26 to 34 Year-olds

The following 10 companies represent the most popular employers that 26 to 34 year-old finance professionals would ideally like to work for.

Analysis

Employer Rankings – 26 to 34 Year-olds Top 10

Goldman Sachs
Rank #1
2017 Rank #1
JP Morgan
Rank #2
2017 Rank #2
Google
Rank #3
2017 Rank #3
Morgan Stanley
Rank #4
2017 Rank #4
BlackRock
Rank #5
2017 Rank #8
UBS
Rank #6
2017 Rank #6
Citi
Rank #7
2017 Rank #7
HSBC
Rank #7
2017 Rank #5
McKinsey & Company
Rank #9
2017 Rank #12
Deloitte
Rank #10
2017 Rank #17

Ideal Employer 2017 – Above 35 Year-olds

The following 10 companies represent the most popular employers that finance professionals above 35 years old would ideally like to work for.

Analysis

Employer Rankings – Above 35 Year-olds Top 10

JP Morgan
Rank #1
2017 Rank #1
Goldman Sachs
Rank #2
2017 Rank #2
Google
Rank #3
2017 Rank #3
Morgan Stanley
Rank #4
2017 Rank #5
HSBC
Rank #5
2017 Rank #6
UBS
Rank #6
2017 Rank #7
Citi
Rank #7
2017 Rank #4
BlackRock
Rank #8
2017 Rank #8
Credit Suisse
Rank #9
2017 Rank #10
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Rank #10
2017 Rank #9

eFinancialCareers Ideal Employer Research Methodology

Our 2018 Ideal Employer research was conducted via an online survey tool between the months of October 2017 to January 2018. In total, the survey garnered 6,298 respondents globally. 18,894 valid votes for ideal employers were cast with a total mention of 2,827 different companies.

To ensure statistical validity of the results 30+ votes per company were required for major rankings (e.g. regions) and 10+ votes per company required for minor rankings (e.g. company sector).  50+ votes per company were required for deeper analysis into company ratings across attributes, including key strengths.  

In 2016 and 2017, all company mentions were weighted equally regardless of the response order. Starting in 2018, a weighting approach was used. The weighted score was calculated based on the position the respondent placed them in.  A full point was given to the first position, two thirds of a point was given for second position and one third of a point was given for the third position.  In the event of a tie score, all tied companies received the same ranking and the equivalent number of subsequent rankings were skipped.  

When comparing 2018 to prior years, total votes in 2017 were compared to weighted votes in 2018 to determine change in ranking order.

To view the eFinancialCareers Ideal Employer 2018 Press Release, click here.