A new global ranking has revealed the world’s top companies for women, released alongside data indicating a looming crisis in female workforce retention.
The list revealed by Forbes highlights employers who excel in supporting women, as leading data shows that nearly 40% of women plan to leave their current jobs within two years.
A comprehensive analysis based on a survey of around 120,000 women in 36 countries, investigated companies based on critical factors including pay equity, advancement opportunities, work-life balance and response to discrimination concerns.
Another notable 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 that lead the 2025 global ranking are:
- Microsoft (software and IT 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 goods), 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, footwear, sports equipment), Sweden
- Mondi (Engineering, Manufacturing), United Kingdom
- Adidas (clothing, footwear, sports equipment), Germany
- The Estée Lauder Companies (Construction, Chemicals, Raw Materials), United States
The ranking follows Deloitte Global’s Women @ Work 2025 survey, where data from 7,500 women in 15 countries reveals alarming trends driving female talent away from the workplace.
The results indicate that only 5% of respondents plan to stay with their current employer long-term, with a lack of work-life balance (30%), inadequate salary (28%) and insufficient flexibility (27%) being the main reasons for leaving their jobs.
Another disturbing trend was concerns about safety: almost a third of women were concerned about personal safety at work and 20% reported harassment by colleagues.
