A new global ranking has revealed the world’s best companies for women, released alongside data indicating a looming crisis in female workforce retention.
The list revealed by Forbes highlights employers who excel at supporting women, as significant data shows that nearly 40% of women plan to leave their current job within two years.
A comprehensive analysis based on a survey of approximately 120,000 women in 36 countries, studied companies based on critical factors including pay equity, advancement opportunities, work-life balance and response to discrimination issues.
Another important factor considered during the analysis was the percentage of women in leadership positions and public perception of each company’s commitment to gender equality.
The top 20 companies at the top of the 2025 global ranking are:
- Microsoft (computer software and services), United States
- Roche Holding (Drugs and biotechnology), Switzerland
- National Bank of Canada (Banking and financial services), Canada
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise (IT software and services), United States
- IKEA (retail and wholesale), Netherlands
- L’Oréal (Packaged products), France
- Deloitte (Professional Services), UK/US
- Nike (Clothing, Footwear, Sports equipment), United States
- Netflix (media and advertising), United States
- Apple (Semiconductors, Electronics, Electrical Engineering), United States
- MAIF (Insurance), France
- Unilever (Packaged Products), United Kingdom
- CIBC (Banking and Financial Services), Canada
- Fidelity Investments (banking and financial services), United States
- Clorox (Retail and Wholesale), United States
- Coca-Cola (Food, Soft Drinks, Alcohol and Tobacco), United States
- H&M – Hennes & Mauritz (Clothing, shoes, sports equipment), Sweden
- Mondi (engineering, manufacturing), United Kingdom
- Adidas (Clothing, Footwear, Sports equipment), Germany
- The Estée Lauder Companies (Construction, Chemicals, Raw Materials), United States
This ranking follows the Deloitte Global 2025 Women @ Work survey, in which data from 7,500 women across 15 countries reveals alarming trends that are driving female talent away from workplaces.
The results indicate that only 5% of respondents plan to stay with their current employer long-term, with lack of work-life balance (30%), inadequate salary (28%) and insufficient flexibility (27%) being the main reasons for leaving their job.
Another worrying trend is major safety concerns: nearly a third of women worry about their personal safety at work and 20% report harassment from coworkers.
