San Jose is the largest city in Silicon Valley, a major tech hub and site of innovation. It is a great place to start a career in various fields, including tech. If you’re thinking of trying your luck and are wondering about your options in this city, this guide is for you. We’ve compiled the biggest companies in San Jose where you can apply for your dream role and kickstart your new career.
San Jose Job Market
The job market in San Jose favors technology and innovation. According to Data USA, the largest industries in San Jose are manufacturing, professional, scientific, and technical services, and healthcare and social assistance. The highest paying industries in the city are information, management of companies and enterprises, and professional, scientific, and technical services.
San Jose’s Key Industries
- Manufacturing
- Professional, scientific, and technical services
- Healthcare and social assistance
What Is San Jose’s Unemployment Rate?
As of November 2021, San Jose’s unemployment rate is at 3.2 percent, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This is lower than the national average unemployment rate.
Who Is the Largest Employer in San Jose?
The largest employer in San Jose is Cisco Systems, one of the biggest multinational technology companies. Founded in 1984 by two computer scientists, Cisco Systems develops, manufactures, and sells networking hardware and software.
Top Employers in San Jose: At a Glance
| Company | Industry | Global Headcount | Hiring For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information and technology | 139,995 | Supply chain program manager Google Nest, inclusion specialist Google children’s center | |
| Cisco Systems | Tech hardware and semiconductors | 79,500 | Chief of staff, collaboration sales specialist, administrative assistant |
| Western Digital | Computer storage | 63,800 | Administrative assistant, manufacturing recruiter, engineering support |
| Infineon Technologies | Semiconductor | 46,665 | Shipping/receiving- material handler, staff specialist pricing, customer quality engineer |
| PayPal | Software and tech services | 26,500 | Executive analyst, growth marketing specialist, senior customer success manager |
| Adobe Systems | Software and tech services | 24,000 | Executive assistant, Adobe sign business development representative, channel solution consultant |
| eBay | E-commerce | 13,000 | Corps comm PR specialist, handbags associate category manager, corporate development associate |
| Verifone | Banking and finance, electronics | 5,000 | Inside sales representative, enterprise sales representative, senior QA engineer |
| FICO | Computer | 3,650 | AMS-SAP FICO associate, SAP-SAC planning consultant, systems analyst |
| Satellite Healthcare | Healthcare | 910 | BioMedical home coordinator, staffing coordinator, senior contract healthcare recruiter |
Largest San Jose Companies to Work For
Google is an American search engine company specializing in Internet-related services and products. Google is considered one of the Big Five companies in the information technology industry. The company has experienced continuous growth since its founding in 1998, including acquisitions, partnerships, and products that go beyond Google’s search engine.
What Is It Like to Work at Google?
Google’s mission is to make information accessible and useful to everyone. The work environment in Google is healthy and its employees are privileged to work amongst some of the best minds in tech. Due to the prestige of the company, getting a job at Google can be challenging.
Top Reasons to Work at Google
- Healthy, friendly, and inclusive work environment
- Opportunity to work with brilliant minds and the latest technologies
- Flexible work schedule
Cisco Systems
Headquartered in San Jose, Cisco Systems has been a big part of the development of Silicon Valley. It is a technology conglomerate that specializes in the development and production of telecommunications equipment and software. This includes switches, routers, and products designed for cyber security.
What Is It Like to Work at Cisco Systems?
Cisco’s company culture is based on the three pillars of environment, characteristics, and experience. The work environment at Cisco is inclusive and diverse, designed to foster creativity and innovation.
Top Reasons to Work at Cisco Systems
- Flexible work hours that allow you to meet your personal goals
- Opportunity to learn new things
- Inclusive and diverse workspace
Western Digital
Western Digital was founded in 1970 by Alvin B Phillips. It is an American computer hard disk drive manufacturer and data storage company that designs, manufactures, and sells data technology products. It is one of the largest computer hard disk drive manufacturers and has a long history in the electronics industry.
What Is It Like to Work at Western Digital?
Western Digital fosters an environment where employees can be creative and find support to turn their ideas into reality. The company cites honesty, diversity, inclusion, and authenticity as its core values.
Top Reasons to Work at Western Digital
- Competitive pay for employees and access to great technology
- Dedicated and friendly co-workers
- Flexible hours to allow for good work-life balance
Infineon Technologies
Infineon Technologies is a semiconductor manufacturer. It spun off from its former parent company, Siemens AG in 2000 and is a leader in the automotive and industrial chip markets. Infineon Technologies offers a wide range of semiconductor solutions, microcontrollers, LED drivers, sensors, and automotive and power management integrated circuits.
What Is It Like to Work at Infineon Technologies?
The core values of Infineon Technologies are commitment, partnerships, innovation, and performance. The culture of Infineon Technologies is built on diversity and inclusion, with employees from over 100 countries. The work environment at Infineon Technologies is uplifting, process-oriented, collaborative, and healthy.
Top Reasons to Work at Infineon Technologies
- Healthy and uplifting work environment
- Excellent employee benefits and perks
- Opportunity to work with a supportive team
PayPal
PayPal is an online payment platform that offers individuals and businesses money transfer services at a low cost. It was established in 1998 by the software company Confinity and became its own company in 2015. Alongside payment facilitation, PayPal allows customers to establish an account on its platforms and use it to send and receive payments.
What Is It Like to Work at PayPal?
The culture of PayPal reflects its commitment to diversity as well as inclusion. The work environment is full of support and you can be yourself knowing there is acceptance as advancement is merit-based only.
Top Reasons to Work at PayPal
- Supportive work environment
- Flexibility in schedule and location
- Excellent workplace for personal growth and appreciation
Adobe Systems
Adobe is a multinational company known for creating computer software for image editing, vector-based illustration, photography, animation, multimedia, video, and print layout. It was founded in 1982 by John Warnock and Charles Geschke. Consider becoming a graphic designer for Adobe and get started with some of the best graphic design courses.
What Is It Like to Work at Adobe Systems?
Adobe encourages its staff members to be genuine, exceptional, innovative, and involved. These values shape Adobe’s work culture as it is a people-oriented workspace committed to creating world-class experiences that fuel its employees’ success.
Top Reasons to Work at Adobe Systems
- A healthy work-life balance
- A dedicated, people-oriented, and fun team
- Inclusive, diverse, and innovative workspace
eBay
This ecommerce corporation enables consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer transactions. Founded in 1995 by Pierre Omidyar, eBay quickly became a success with operations in about 32 countries.
What Is It Like to Work at eBay?
eBay’s core values are family, teamwork, and opportunity. eBay works hard to ensure a work environment where employees feel safe, wanted, and appreciated. The work environment, according to its employees, is supportive, the employee benefits and perks are excellent.
Top Reasons to Work at eBay
- Excellent employee perks and benefits.
- Supportive work environment and team.
- Flexible work schedules and work-life balance.
Verifone
Verifone is known for its merchant-operated, consumer-facing, and self-service payment systems, which they offer to various industries like financial, retail, and hospitality. Verifone operates in more than 150 countries worldwide, employs nearly 5,000 people globally, and has offices in some of the biggest cities in the world.
What Is It Like to Work at Verifone?
Verifone values diversity, inclusion, and accountability. The pay at Verifone is good, but according to reviews at Indeed, there is room for improvement when it comes to energizing work tasks, a sense of belonging, and trust in colleagues.
Top Reasons to Work at Verifone
- Good pay
- Diverse and inclusive environment
- Challenging work
FICO
FICO is a data analytics company headquartered in San Jose. Founded by Bill Fair and Earl Isaac in 1956, FICO is known for providing support to businesses seeking to make data-driven decisions to achieve growth and improve their customer satisfaction.
What Is It Like to Work at FICO?
FICO puts great emphasis on creating exceptional products and services. Employees are encouraged to be dynamic, take opportunities when they arise, and take on new challenges. The work environment at FICO is generally supportive, with a great team environment and an innovative culture.
Top Reasons to Work at FICO
- Opportunity to work in a supportive environment
- Challenging and diverse team
- Opportunities to learn new things and sharpen existing relevant skills
Satellite Healthcare
Satellite Healthcare was founded as a not-for-profit organization by a kidney doctor, Dr. Norm Coplon, and provides kidney disease care and dialysis services to its patients as well as personalized training. Satellite Healthcare has over 910 employees and has been in existence for almost 50 years.
What Is It Like to Work at Satellite Healthcare?
The core values of Satellite Healthcare are compassion, trust, quality, teamwork, and innovation. At Satellite, the company’s humanity, skill, and mission are what shape its culture, which is based around the idea of diversity as a driver for innovation. Therefore, you can be sure that you will be listened to, you will meet a collaborative and innovative team.
Top Reasons to Work at Satellite Healthcare
- Opportunity to work with innovative and collaborative minds
- Fair and reasonable job pay
- Clear sense of purpose
Other Big Companies Headquartered in San Jose
- The Hoffman agency
- Sanmina
- GlobalLogic
- Align Technology
- Broadcom
- 247 Customer
- Fry’s Electronics
- CSS Corp
- Cadence Design Systems
Where to Find a Job in San Jose: Top San Jose Job Boards
MetroSanJoseJobs
MetroSanJoseJobs, an extension of Circa, is an online network that connects the most progressive companies with the most qualified individuals in San Jose. It provides services for job seekers in San Jose and helps employers fill open positions.
Jobs.net
Jobs.net is an online network that connects the best candidates in San Jose to the nation’s top employers via career opportunities. It gives job seekers a chance to network with employers and is operated by CareerBuilder.
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Localwise
Localwise is an online space where local talents get hired. Localwise matches local employers with great local talent and has a job advertisement and job matching platforms with hiring and talent specialists that make it easier for local talents to get a job.
What Is San Jose’s Tech Scene Like?
San Jose is the capital of Silicon Valley and is home to over 6,600 tech companies. San Jose is home to many giant tech companies and startups. It is known for its research parks, technology centers, for its tech museum, and tech garages. A large portion of its population works in tech in one form or another.
Can a Bootcamp Help Me Get a Job With a Top San Jose Employer?
Yes, a bootcamp can help you get a job with a top San Jose employer. A coding bootcamp is a short and intensive training program that teaches students practical and relevant tech skills. Bootcamps are common for technical roles, so it is a great option for anyone looking to start a career in San Jose.
For example, if you want to be a data analyst at Cisco Systems, a coding bootcamp will help you, especially if you want to get into the tech scene without a formal degree. Some of the best coding bootcamps in San Jose are listed below.
Top Coding Bootcamps in San Jose
- Coding Dojo
- Nucamp
- Hackbright Academy
- General Assembly
- First Step Coding
Why San Jose Is a Great Place to Achieve Your Career Goals
As the largest city in Silicon Valley, San Jose is one of the best places if you’re hoping to break into tech or you’re interested in a tech job. Regardless of the industry and job type, San Jose is a center of innovation and home to ambitious people, entrepreneurs, companies, startups, and developers.
Biggest Companies in San Jose FAQ
What industries are in San Jose?
There are a lot of industries in San Jose, but the most prominent industries are manufacturing, professional, scientific, and technical services, and healthcare and social assistance.
Is San Jose an expensive city?
Yes, San Jose is more expensive than the average US city. This is partly due to the influx of people it has received over the last few decades, with people seeking out opportunities for growth and success in tech in the Bay Area. However, San Jose is more affordable than San Francisco.
Are there work opportunities outside tech in San Jose?
Yes. While most people associate San Jose with the tech industry, there is a strong healthcare and social assistance industry, as well as a strong manufacturing industry, and there is a need for professionals both within and outside tech.
How many tech companies are in San Jose?
Over 6,600 tech companies are headquartered in San Jose.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
