Earlier this week, Forbes came out with its 2021 list for best employers by state.
All told, 90 separate companies based in New Jersey made it onto the list. Hard Rock International, which owns the Hard Rock Casino in Atlantic City, was No. 1.
Following it in second place was utility giant PSEG, and then Microsoft in third place, which has five offices in New Jersey. Barclays, a banking giant, scored fifth place, followed by Kenilworth-based global drugmaker Merck at sixth place.
Johnson & Johnson, a major pharmaceutical company based in New Brunswick, came in at No. 12. The company has an estimated 46,000 employees worldwide and developed the one-shot COVID-19 vaccinee in use throughout the world.
Sanofi, another major New Jersey-based drugmaker, ranked No. 33, according to the list, while retail outlet Wakefern Food, which owns such chains as ShopRite, is listed at No. 89.
Other health care and pharmaceutical companies including Bristol Myers Squibb and Becton Dickinson & Co., which scored No. 44 and No. 28 respectively. Verizon, a telecommunications giant with a major office presence in Basking Ridge, is listed at No. 48.
Princeton University came in at No. 9 on the New Jersey section of Forbes best employers by state list for 2021. – DEPOSIT PHOTOS
Two major universities – Princeton and Rutgers – scored No. 9 and No. 53, respectively.
The state of New Jersey itself, scored No. 70, while statewide transit agency New Jersey Transit was listed at No. 24.
Major health care networks and hospitals Inspira Health Network, Jefferson Health, RWJBarnabas Health, Atlantic Health System, Cooper University Health Care, University hospital Newark, Penn Medicine and Hackensack Meridian Health also made the list.
“[I]nclusion on the list for the second consecutive year is confirmation of our commitment to providing a supportive and inclusive working environment for all our employees, especially throughout the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic,” reads a statement from RWJBaranabas Chief Executive Officer Barry Ostrowsky.
The health care chain, based in West Orange, has roughly 35,000 staff, and was ranked at No. 34.
“Our goal at Cooper is to be the best place to be a patient, the best place to work, and the best place to learn and practice medicine,” reads a statement from Kevin O’Dowd, the co-CEO of Cooper, and former senior staff member for Gov. Chris Christie. Cooper, based in Camden, has 8,500 employees, and along with University Hospital and RWJBarnabaas’ New Brunswick facility, are one of the state’s three Level One Trauma Centers.
Secaucus-based Quest Diagnostics, which has 47,000 employees, was ranked at No. 71.
