Millennials. They’re a big deal. Maybe you’ve heard. Shear numbers alone mean we can’t ignore them. In fact, more than one in three American labor force participants (35 percent) are millennials, making them the largest generation in the U.S. labor force, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.
As a result, companies are doing their best to understand this generation and what makes them tick. The latest comes from Indeed, which highlights the top employers of millennials and reveals the things those organizations do to appeal to a generation used to participation ribbons and orange slices after Saturday soccer as kids.
“Millennials are less likely than baby boomers to say that creativity and fun are ‘extremely important’ to them when applying for a job,” according to the data from Indeed. “How an organization will help them learn, grow, and further their careers is what matters most to them.”
With record unemployment and a growing number of workers open to new opportunities, what organizations are cutting through the clutter and appealing to younger workers? The brainiacs at Indeed analyzed data from their 72 million ratings and reviews and here’s what they learned.
Top Employers
The 10 highest-rated companies for millennials based on employer ratings and reviews include:
- Northrop Grumman
- Discover Financial Services
- Kaiser Permanente
- Delta
- Southwest Airlines
- Apple
- Pfizer Inc.
- Capital One
- EY
- The Dow Chemical Company
Upwork, the only company in the top 25 that can be loosely categorized as an employment site, came in at No. 16. Click here to view the full list.
“Despite the cliche that millennials only want to work at tech companies and startups, the list of top-rated workplaces by members of this age group includes a broad range of industries — including security, finance, health care, tech, travel and chemicals,” Indeed added. “In fact, the top three firms represented the fields of global security, finance, and health care, and only one of the top ten is in the tech arena.”
So what do these companies have in common that millennials love so much? Here’s what Indeed found.
- Growth opportunities: A recent Gallup report entitled How Millennials Want to Work and Live reveals that 59 percent of millennials say opportunities to learn and grow are extremely important to them when applying for work.
- Make an impact: A Deloitte study found 83 percent of millennials think that a company’s success should be measured beyond just their financial performance. For instance, business leaders should be proactive about making a positive impact on society.
- Support flexibility: The Millennial Majority Is Transforming Your Culture by Deloitte says millennials have been at the forefront of changing ways to think about work, including focusing on work environments where they are not limited to strict working hours or locations.
- Health and family: Healthcare is the benefit most in demand by millennials. Prioritizing family is also important. Companies that made the top 10 go well beyond the basics in these areas.
- Tuition reimbursement: Student loan assistance is a “top priority.” So says a quarter of recent graduates. However, only 3 percent of employers currently offer it. Almost every company on Indeed’s top 10 list has some sort of tuition assistance.
“It appears that many millennials are looking beyond the paycheck when it comes to deciding where to work — top-rated companies provide opportunities to learn and grow and give back to the community,” Indeed highlighted. “Millennials also tend to prefer companies that prioritize high quality of life for employees. Almost all of the companies in the top 10 demonstrated this, whether it be in the form of supporting education and reducing student debt, allowing for flexible working conditions, or supporting the health and family priorities of employees.”
To create its list, Indeed looked at companies with the highest overall ratings from user ratings and reviews on Indeed.com from millennials over the last two years. Millennials were defined by the Pew Research Center.