Here are the 20 best employers for new graduates

Just as high school and college graduates hit the job market this summer, a research initiative has released a pair of Top 10 lists that rank the best employers for new grads seeking first jobs. 

It’s not hard to find online lists of good jobs for new graduates. The new lists, however, are drawn from a deep data dive that spans roughly 12 million workers, 55,000 jobs and 1,750 employers.  

The top-employer lists, released June 29, are part of a much larger project called "Where You Work Matters," which rates employers on how well they build, reward and retain talent.  

According to the analysis, the 20 companies listed all excel in offering early-career jobs that provide skills and training to entry-level workers. The employers also enable workers to grow, either by rising through the ranks or seeking better jobs at other firms.

The ranking considers another key variable: whether the employer is hiring.  

“It is a first-of-a-kind assessment that combines job quality and hiring volume,” said Rajiv Chandrasekaran, managing director of the Schultz Family Foundation. 

Where You Work Matters is a partnership between the Schultz foundation and the Burning Glass Institute. Both organizations are committed to promoting economic opportunity and mobility.  

The point of the Top 10 lists, Chandrasekaran said, is to steer young adults to employers that are actively hiring recent graduates into jobs that can seed meaningful careers.  

The ratings draw on data from millions of actual workers, in postings on LinkedIn, Indeed and other sites that illustrate patterns in pay, retention and advancement. 

“It’s all based on what’s really happened to people,” Chandrasekaran said. 

Chandrasekaran urged new graduates to search beyond the two Top 10 lists. The Where You Work Matters site allows visitors to explore thousands of potential employers and jobs in search of high-quality job prospects.  

Here are the Top 10 companies for recent college graduates

Here are the 10 companies identified by the initiative as Top Places to Work for recent college graduates: 

• Accenture. The global professional services company earns platinum badges, the site’s top rating, in such professions as business intelligence analyst and data scientist. 
• CAI. The global technology firm earns top ratings in such jobs as IT systems analyst and management analyst. 
• Capital One. The financial services firm gets top ratings in such fields as data scientist and software engineer. 
• Cardinal Health. The global healthcare firm gets platinum ratings for such jobs as clinical research coordinator and manufacturing engineer. 
• Cognizant Technology Solutions. The global professional services company gets top ratings for software engineers and web developers, among other fields. 
• Deloitte. The global professional services firm gets top ratings for such fields as blockchain engineer and financial risk specialist. 
• Lockheed Martin. The global security and aerospace firm gets high marks across such fields as aerospace engineer and budget analyst. 
• Northrop Grumman. This global aerospace and defense firm gets top ratings for manufacturing engineers and supply chain managers, among other jobs. 
• PwC. The global professional services network gets platinum ratings for such occupations as business intelligence analyst and tax preparer.  
• Tesla. The automaker gets top ratings for such professions as automotive engineer and data scientist.  

Here are the Top 10 companies for new high school graduates

And here are the 10 companies identified by the initiative as Top Places to Work for recent high school graduates: 

• Best Buy. The retailer gets platinum ratings in such occupations as customer service representative and warehouse and stock handling worker. 
• Chick-fil-A. The restaurant chain gets top marks for such fields as short-order cook and cafeteria attendant. 
• Compass Group. The global foodservice company gets platinum ratings in such fields as restaurant cook and server.  
• Enterprise Rent-A-Car. The firm gets high marks in such occupations as customer service representative and retail sales and service clerk.  
• H-E-B. The supermarket chain gets top ratings for such occupations as baker and food and beverage service worker.  
• Marriott International. The global hospitality company gets platinum badges in such occupations as cafeteria attendant and restaurant cook. 
• Panera Bread. The bakery-café chain gets top ratings for delivery drivers and short-order cooks, among other jobs. 
• SpartanNash. The food company gets top ratings in such occupations as baker and food prep worker.  
• TJX. The retailer gets platinum ratings in such jobs as customer service representative and retail sales and service clerk. 
• UPS. The global delivery service gets high marks for such occupations as customer service representative and shipping and receiving clerk.