Six of the twelve South African companies on Forbes' 2026 ranking of the World's Best Employers are banks or financial groups, and the best-placed of them all is Nedbank, at 26th in the world. BusinessTech noted that the placing put it above Samsung, Chanel and Marriott International. A year ago, that spot belonged to Standard Bank.
The ranking is a popularity vote among staff, not an inspection. Forbes and the research firm Statista surveyed more than 300,000 employees in more than 50 countries, online and anonymously, with no company involved. People were asked how likely they would be to recommend their employer to family and friends, and to rate it on salary, promotion prospects, work-life balance and reputation. Only companies with more than 1,000 staff operating globally qualified, and 900 made the final list. As IOL points out, the results reflect what employees perceive, not an independent audit of pay, benefits or working conditions.
Nedbank and Standard Bank trade places
The top two South African names have simply swapped. On last year's list, Standard Bank was the country's highest-ranked employer at 28th, with Nedbank further down at 49th. This year Nedbank climbed 23 places, while Standard Bank slipped all the way to 54th.
The other big lenders are not far behind. Absa and FirstRand sit just either side of 100th place, and Investec and Sanlam further back make up the six financial names.
The best-placed company outside finance
Outside financial services, the highest South African name is MTN, at 133rd. It has been climbing for a while: MTN was 394th in 2023, which works out to 261 places gained in three years. Chief executive Ralph Mupita said the company was proud of the recognition, "particularly because the list is informed by the voices and experiences of employees".
The rest of the dozen is a mixed bag. Sasol, Mediclinic, Sappi and the recruitment group Adcorp all made it, and South African Airways came in last of the local names, the only state-owned company among the twelve.
Across the continent, the pattern holds. Nine of Africa's ten highest-ranked employers are headquartered in South Africa, and the one exception, Nigeria's Guaranty Trust Bank, is also a bank.
