SMC leads 9 PH firms on Forbes ‘World’s Best Employers’ list
Conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) emerged as the best company to work for in the Philippines, leading nine Philippine companies that landed on Forbes Magazine’s 2025 list of the “World’s Best Employers.”
SMC was ranked 42nd overall, 47 notches higher than its rank last year.
The company, led by billionaire Ramon Ang and whose businesses span infrastructure, energy and food, currently has more than 56,000 employees.
Ayala Corp. came second at No. 139.
“Our Strategic Human Resources Group does a very good job of hiring exceptional people and then giving them the support they need to be effective and succeed. It’s really all about people,” Ayala president and CEO Cezar Consing said in a statement.
The country’s oldest conglomerate employs at least 64,000 people across its real estate, telecommunications, utilities, logistics and banking services.
Other local companies that were recognized for their commitment to employee well-being despite global and domestic uncertainties are Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. (154th), Land Bank of the Philippines (187th), LT Group Inc. (421st), Century Pacific Group Inc. (453rd), Jollibee Foods Corp. (455th), BDO Unibank Inc. (585th) and Cebu Air Inc. (770th).
“For companies around the world, this past year has been tumultuous, from global economic uncertainties to political unrest and extreme weather emergencies,” Forbes said on its website.
Citing a separate employer well-being strategy survey conducted by the Business Group on Health, Forbes noted that multinational companies “remain consistent in their commitment to employee well-being.”
“But to ensure that employee well-being is truly a priority, internal company systems must foster a healthy work-life balance on an everyday basis,” it added.
Forbes partnered with market research firm Statista to survey more than 300,000 employees across over 50 countries.
Participants were asked via an online survey how likely they were to recommend their employer to family and friends, and rated their companies based on salary, career advancement opportunities, work-life balance and reputation.
Companies were eligible for the ranking if they employed more than 1,000 people and operated globally, according to Forbes.
