UK companies miss opportunities to attract talent

Jobseekers left frustrated as the largest UK companies fail to include basic careers information on their corporate websites 

JOBSEEKERS are struggling to find the most basic career information from the largest UK companies, as they fail to include sought-after and essential facts and figures on their corporate websites. 

New research by Comprend, which ranks the UK's top 110 companies through their corporate websites, found UK companies did not have key information desired by job seekers when looking for a new role.  

Only 37% of the UK companies surveyed presented clear information on career progression and promotion opportunities while only 14% included detail on their onboarding programme. Just 3% offered data on the number of hours spent on learning and development. Edelman's 2024 Trust Barometer report on Trust at Work, shows that 82% of employees think that employers who offer training to keep skills up to date is a strong expectation or even a dealbreaker when considering a job.  

The 28th edition of Webranking by Comprend evaluates how effectively the UK’s largest companies address stakeholder expectations for transparency and accessibility on their websites. It evaluates key areas such as Careers, Investor Relations and Sustainability and assesses the content against a set of criteria, scoring them out of 100 points. These criteria are informed by direct insights from stakeholder groups, about what they expect to find on a corporate website. These groups include investors, analysts, and job seekers.  

This year’s survey covered the 110 largest UK companies and the eight largest Irish companies, selected based on their market capitalisation and inclusion in the Europe 500 list derived from the STOXX All Europe 800 index.  

As well as Careers, top UK companies performed particularly poorly on Investor Relations communications, fulfilling only 26% of criteria to meet stakeholder expectations, (compared to 28% for European companies). 

The lowest performing sector was Retail, which this year included UK companies such as Next and variety retailer B&M. The Retail sector gained an average score of 38.9 out of 100 points and also lacked information for jobseekers to a higher extent than other sectors (39% compared to the UK average of 56%). It also performed on the lower side in Sustainability information, with an average fulfilment of 40%, compared to the overall UK average of 55%.  

Deputy CEO, Comprend, Staffan Lindgren, said: "This year’s Webranking results highlight an excellent opportunity for UK companies to stand out by presenting vital careers information that jobseekers value most on their corporate websites. Companies that prioritise detailed and transparent career information not only attract high-quality talent but also build trust and strengthen their employer brand. By showcasing their values and aligning with the needs of potential hires, these companies position themselves as employers of choice in a competitive market. With UK companies scoring low overall, there is real opportunity here to win over jobseekers and differentiate themselves against the competition."  

Other key findings from this year’s results show that sustainability communications are improving with UK companies fulfilling over 52% of the sustainability criteria - an improvement from last year. The companies perform particularly well when it comes to presenting their sustainability strategies and how ESG factors are integrated in the overall business model and strategy. Accessibility is also an emerging standard with over 70% of companies presenting an accessibility statement, suggesting a proactive trend towards broader digital inclusion ahead of the European Accessibility Act in 2025.  

Overall, UK companies scored highest in the ‘About Us’ section, with a 61% average criteria fulfilment. The companies perform well in presenting their purpose, mission and vision (97%), value creation for society (96%) and target market/customers (92%).  

Despite the growing importance of executive visibility in fostering trust, however, only 5% of companies include direct leadership commentary in business strategy presentations on their websites, compared to 34% in sustainability strategy discussions. This suggests a missed opportunity to connect with stakeholders on broader strategic goals.  

Top performers  

BP takes the lead as the best-performing UK company for the second year in a row. They perform especially well in presenting  Sustainability, About Us and Careers-related information.  

Shell have climbed one place from last year and continue to perform well in presenting information related to financial reporting, including an online version of their annual report.  
  
Rolls-Royce Holdings are new in the UK top three, improving their score with 5.2 points since last year. Sustainability and Careers stand out as strong areas.  

Best climber  

IMI are this year’s best UK climber, meaning the company who have improved their score the most since last year. They have improved their score by 14.9 points in total.  
  
  

Top 10 - UK  
  

See the complete results list  

ENDS  
 

For press enquiries, contact karen.lester@comprend.com

About Webranking 

Webranking by Comprend shares insights on stakeholder expectations and provides actionable insights and benchmarking for corporate companies.

About Comprend 
 
We are Comprend – tech-enabled marketing and communication creating trust and sustainable growth. We are 300+ experts collaborating across offices in Sweden, Finland, Poland and the UK with a strong track record in B2B, B2C and corporate communication. Leveraging technology as an enabler, we decode complexity to find solutions to influence audiences and strengthen brand perception. We help clients to make decisions, act fast and measure results.  

Branding | Corporate communications | Marketing | Performance and analytics | Digital business  

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