The latest episode of the podcast 'You Should Know,' hosted by William Tincup of WRKdefined, features a conversation with Matt Sigelman, president of the Burning Glass Institute, and Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Managing Director of the Schultz Family Foundation. They discuss the newly expanded workforce analytics project 'Where You Work Matters,' which grades 1,750 of America's largest employers on the actual career outcomes of their workers. In a labor market where entry-level roles are eroding and AI is reshaping hiring, this research provides urgent insights for HR leaders, workers, and job seekers.
The project draws on a database of 12 million career histories across 1,800 companies, measuring promotion velocity, retention, pay growth, and regrettable turnover. Sigelman explains the methodology in plain terms, cutting through employer marketing claims to focus on empirical outcomes. 'If two people start in the same role at directly competing firms, how likely are they each to move up? How likely are they each to stay? How does their pay change over time?' he asks, describing the core question behind the American Opportunity Index and its successor project.
Tincup challenges conventional HR wisdom, arguing that regrettable turnover, not raw turnover, is the metric that matters. Chandrasekaran and Sigelman agree, adding that transparency benefits workers too. The conversation also highlights the disappearance of entry-level jobs, a trend flagged in a recent Harvard Business Review article, which threatens the future talent pipeline.
The findings defy expectations. Only 22 of roughly 1,750 companies earned Platinum ratings across every category measured. Of the hundreds of firms employing financial analysts, just 27 rated as great across early career, growth, and stability stages, and only six of those were in banking or financial services. Standouts included General Mills, Liberty Mutual, and Nike. At Whole Foods, food preparation workers fare surprisingly well because prepared foods drive margin.
Chandrasekaran cites conversations with CHROs at top-rated firms who point to intentional manager conversations about career trajectory as the practice that separates leaders from laggards. The site now offers an occupation finder tool for the class of 2026, surfacing roughly 6,000 highly rated entry-level openings. The full 'Where You Work Matters' dataset can be explored at whereyouworkmatters.org.
