Forbes and market research firm Statista have released their World’s Best Employers 2026 ranking, based on feedback from more than 300,000 employees across more than 50 countries.
The seventh annual ranking evaluated thousands of companies with significant international operations. Employees were asked whether they would recommend their own employer and were also invited to evaluate other companies they knew within their industries. More recent responses and feedback from current employees carried greater weight in the final scoring.
A total of 900 companies made the final list.
Microsoft Tops the Global Ranking
Microsoft ranked No. 1 in the world for the third consecutive year, according to Forbes.
Delta Air Lines placed second, followed by Shopify at No. 3, Costco at No. 4 and Nvidia at No. 5.
Among the Top 15 Employers Worldwide
Forbes’ 2026 ranking includes some of the world’s best-known companies among the top 15 employers.
BMW Group ranked No. 15, followed by Airbus at No. 14, IBM at No. 13, Rolex at No. 12 and Nintendo at No. 11.
The top 10 also includes Lego Group at No. 10, Alphabet at No. 9, Sony at No. 8, Apple at No. 7 and Adobe at No. 6.
The ranking covers companies across technology, healthcare, manufacturing, finance, transportation, retail and other major industries.
New Jersey Has a Presence on the Global List
New Jersey is also represented.
One confirmed example is Cognizant, the global technology and consulting company headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey. Cognizant announced that it was named to Forbes’ World’s Best Employers 2026 list, continuing a multiyear run of recognition in the global ranking.
The company employs workers around the world and operates across technology consulting, artificial intelligence, cloud computing and digital transformation.
New Jersey is home to several other major global employers frequently recognized by Forbes across its workplace rankings, including Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick, Merck in Rahway and PSEG in Newark. Forbes’ 2026 U.S. large-employer ranking, for example, placed Merck at No. 57 and PSEG at No. 88 nationally.
However, Forbes’ public global ranking interface does not currently expose every company’s state location in a way that allows a complete New Jersey-only breakdown, so Cognizant is the clearest confirmed New Jersey-headquartered company from the newly released worldwide list.
How the Ranking Was Built
Statista says approximately 6,000 companies were evaluated, with respondents providing more than 5 million employer evaluations.
The strongest factor was whether employees would recommend their own workplace to friends or family. The survey also measured broader employer reputation by asking workers about companies they knew within their industries.
Unlike rankings based primarily on financial size or revenue, the World’s Best Employers list focuses heavily on employee perception and workplace reputation.
For New Jersey, the inclusion of companies such as Cognizant highlights the state’s continuing role as a base for major employers operating on a global scale.
Sources: Forbes, Statista, Cognizant
By NJ RADAR Team