Key facts
- A database analyzed 12 million workers' career histories at 1,750 companies from 2019-2024.
- The analysis focused on promotions, retention (staying at least three years), and salary.
- Amazon and Salesforce were identified as top companies for tech career advancement and longevity.
- Software engineers at Salesforce ranked in the 97th percentile for promotions, 98th for retention, and 96th for salary.
- Companies like Adobe, Google, and Microsoft also showed strong performance for tech roles.
- Goldman Sachs and Deloitte were cited as less appealing options due to poor advancement and retention.
The perceived trajectory of one's career often hinges on personal attributes like intelligence and drive. However, the workplace environment and the support offered by an employer play a crucial role, influencing factors such as internal promotion opportunities, investment in training, and overall job longevity.
Navigating this landscape has historically been challenging for job seekers, as external reputations do not always reflect the reality within specific departments. To address this, the Burning Glass Institute and the Schultz Family Foundation developed a comprehensive database by analyzing the career histories of 12 million workers across 1,750 major U.S. employers between 2019 and 2024. This analysis, drawing data from platforms like LinkedIn and Glassdoor, evaluates each occupation at each company based on three key metrics: the likelihood of internal promotion within five years, the rate of worker retention over at least three years, and salary levels.
The resulting database provides a detailed, role-specific guide to career prospects in corporate America, highlighting significant variations even within the same company. For instance, at Chanel, fashion designers rank in the 97th percentile for retention, while project management specialists are in the 16th percentile. The study focused on six prominent tech occupations: software engineers, data scientists, software quality assurance analysts and testers, computer systems and security engineers, IT project managers, and IT systems analysts.
Across these tech roles, companies like Amazon and Salesforce stand out for offering a complete package of top-tier pay, excellent advancement opportunities, and high job retention. Salesforce's software engineers, for example, achieve top-percentile rankings in promotions, retention, and salary. Adobe, Google, and Microsoft also demonstrate strong performance in the tech sector.
Other tech giants present a more mixed picture. Apple workers tend to stay long-term despite fewer promotion opportunities, whereas Uber workers advance well but often leave the company. Meta shows mediocre promotion rates, with retention varying significantly by role. Beyond Silicon Valley, Liberty Mutual and USAA offer competitive career advancement and longevity for tech workers, though their salaries may not match those in tech hubs. Companies like John Deere and Northwestern Mutual also provide strong prospects for career growth and stability with average salaries.
In the healthcare sector, the Mayo Clinic demonstrates exceptional retention for its IT project managers and systems analysts, who rank in the 99th percentile for longevity, despite earning less than comparable roles elsewhere. Conversely, some companies present less attractive career paths. At Goldman Sachs, software engineers are well-compensated but face limited upward mobility and high turnover, with data scientists also showing poor advancement and retention without a commensurate salary premium. Deloitte's technical roles are similarly characterized by low promotion rates and short employee tenures.
These factors have become increasingly important for tech workers, especially in the current economic climate marked by hiring freezes and layoffs. Unlike the job-hopping culture of the past, many tech professionals now prioritize stability and a long-term career home.