COMPANY NEWS

Johnson & Johnson Earns Top Spot for Second Consecutive Year, Intel Vaults into Top 10 at No. 2 Overall, and IBM, Procter & Gamble and Lockheed Martin Tie for Third

 January 17, 2018 | Tampa, FL

WilsonHCG, global leader and premium provider of innovative talent solutions, has revealed its 2018 Fortune 500 Top 100 Employment Brands report – the company’s fourth annual objective research, evaluation and ranking of how well Fortune 500 organizations brand themselves as an “employer of choice”. New to the 2018 report, WilsonHCG also analyzed the top 25 Global Fortune 500 employment brands.  

Based on six key employment branding categories and tens of thousands of data points, Johnson & Johnson earned the top overall ranking for the second year in a row (third consecutive top-10 performance). Intel earned the No. 2 overall spot, with three companies – IBM, Procter & Gamble and Lockheed Martin – tying for third overall. Rounding out the top 10 are General Motors, JPMorgan Chase, Dow, Cummins, and ADP (each tied for No. 6 overall).

“We’re in the midst of the most competitive hiring environment of our time, as today’s talent has full transparency into what they're worth – and what competitors are offering; in turn, employment branding has never been more integral to the health of your business,” said John Wilson, WilsonHCG CEO. “According to a LinkedIn study of more than 4,000 talent leaders across 35 countries, talent is the No. 1 priority for 2018. In large part, because the candidate market is narrowing. The Fortune 500s that have moved from preaching to operationalizing brand strategy, in a way that ensures efforts resonate with the bottom line, have risen to the top of this year’s rankings.”

WilsonHCG’s report explores the factors that define today’s most differentiated employment brands, how 2018 compares to previous years, and insight into the nuances of the six industries that carry the most Fortune 500s (Industrial Machinery; Pharmaceuticals; Hotels, Casinos, Resorts; Computer Software; Health Care: Insurance and Managed Care; and IT Services).

Key Findings from the 2018 Report Include:

• Operationalizing Employment Brand Strategy. As John Wilson notes above, leading companies are operationalizing brand strategy – that is, aligning brand strategy with bottom-line performance. In fact, WilsonHCG’s top 10 Fortune 500 employment brands earn a combined 157 percent more in revenue than the bottom 10.
  
• Exceptional Increase in Competition. The top 50 Fortune 500 employment brands are separated by just 14 points, indicating the significant leap in competitiveness and focus on employment branding to enhance talent acquisition in 2017-2018.
• Gaps in Excellence. Despite the increase in competition, many companies are still challenged trying to capitalize on the opportunities presented by innovative employment branding. Of note, in the Accolades category, the top 100 scored 805 percent better than the bottom 100. In Recruitment Marketing, the top 100 scored 462 percent better.
  
• Changing Principal Drivers. Among 18-35 year olds, the “ability to learn and progress” is now the principal driver of candidate and employee decisions. Yet, 42 percent of this population says they are not learning fast enough and are likely to leave their current role. WilsonHCG’s 2018 report reveals how leading Fortune 500s are evolving employment branding in light of an ever-changing world of work.

To access a complimentary copy of the 2018 Fortune 500 Top 100 Employment Brands report, visit: http://whcg.co/2D2xjOo