A new global ranking has revealed the world’s best companies for women, released alongside data that indicates a looming crisis in female workforce retention.
The list revealed by Forbes highlights employers who excel at supporting women, as key data shows that almost 40% of women plan to leave their current job within two years.
A comprehensive analysis based on the survey of around 120,000 women in 36 countries, examined companies on the basis of critical factors, including pay equality, opportunities for advancement, work-life balance and response to problems of discrimination.
Another prominent factor considered during the analysis was the percentage of women in leadership positions and the public perception of each company’s commitment to gender equality.
The top 20 companies leading the global 2025 ranking are:
- Microsoft (IT Software & Services), USA
- Roche Holding (Drugs & Biotechnology), Switzerland
- National Bank of Canada (Banking and Financial Services), Canada
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise (IT Software & Service), USA
- IKEA (Retail and wholesale), Netherlands
- L’Oréal (packaged goods), France
- Deloitte (Professional Services), UK/ USA
- Nike (clothing, shoes, sports equipment), USA
- Netflix (media and advertising), USA
- Apple (semiconductors, electronics, electrical engineering), USA
- MAIF (insurance), France
- Unilever (packaged goods), UK
- CIBC (Banking and Financial Services), Canada
- Fidelity Investments (Banking and Financial Services), USA
- Clorox (retail and wholesale), USA
- Coca-Cola (food, soft drinks, alcohol and tobacco), USA
- H&M – Hennes & Mauritz (clothing, shoes, sports equipment), Sweden
- Mondi (Engineering, Manufacturing), UK
- Adidas (clothing, shoes, sports equipment), Germany
- Estée Lauder Companies (construction, chemicals, raw materials), USA
The ranking follows the Deloitte Global 2025 Women @ Work survey, in which data from 7,500 women in 15 countries reveals alarming trends 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%), insufficient pay (28%) and insufficient flexibility (27%) as the main reasons for leaving their job.
Another worrying trend was major safety concerns, with almost a third of women concerned about personal safety in the workplace and 20% reporting harassment from colleagues
