Top 10 most productive companies in the UK

An analysis of 600 plcs, out today, has found the natural resources company generates £6.1m of revenue per full time employee, outstripping any other company in the report by nearly £1m.

The analysis by Profiles International, the employment testing service, shows the next best performer is insurance company St James’s Place, with revenue per full time employee standing at £5m.

Legal & General, another life insurance company, came third, with £4.7m revenue generated per employee, followed by Dana Petroleum, with £3.6m. In fifth place was general mining company Anglo Pacific Group, with £2.9m of revenue per worker.

The findings were worked out by analysing financial data from 600 companies on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange.

According to the report, companies that can demonstrate a performance-driven culture, with effective managers who encourage innovation will generally achieve higher productivity, as measured by revenue per full time employee.

Technical, financial and operational “sophistication” were also considered important factors in maximising output per unit.

Martin Goodwill, managing director of Profiles International, said: “It is more important than ever for companies to benchmark their people processes to ensure they maximise the productivity of the people they employ.”

In the top 10 most productive companies, five are in the natural resources industry, while four are in the insurance sector. Just one financial services firm, Intermediate Capital Group, made it into the top 10 – contrary “to what people might assume”, Mr Goodwill said.

A number of companies in the top 100 are not household names, Mr Goodwill added – with the first bank, Lloyds Banking Group, appearing at number 96 on the list with revenue per employee standing at £265,000.

Source: Profiles International
--By Louisa Peacock
Published: 12:01AM BST 28 Oct 2010