Biotech firms Genentech and Monsanto, along with the University of Pennsylvania, were among the top five employers in an online poll ranking the 100 best places to work in the United States for information-technology professionals.

The poll, conducted by Computerworld magazine, ranks the 100 organizations on the basis of such criteria as training, job security, diversity and benefits. Genentech, based in South San Francisco, California, won kudos for its benefits plan and leadership programmes; Monsanto of St Louis, Missouri, gained a high rank for its flexible work hours and telecommuting policy; and the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia won praise for its benefits, diversity and secure-campus practices. Now in its 16th year, the survey collected responses from more than 27,000 employees across the United States.