Nedbank has moved up to 26th place on the Forbes World’s Best Employers list for 2026. The bank was ranked 49th in 2025, Cape Town Etc reported.
The jump of 23 places makes Nedbank the highest-ranked South African company on the list. It is also the top banking and financial services employer in Africa.
“Ranking among the top employers globally demonstrates that organisations from Africa can compete with the very best in the world,” said Andee Uren, Nedbank’s executive head of organisation effectiveness.
Uren reportedly said the recognition was a big achievement for the bank. She credited the staff who carry out its purpose and values every day.
Nedbank finished ahead of well-known global brands such as Samsung, Chanel and Marriott International. It was also ranked among the top three banking employers in the world.
According to BusinessTech, Forbes looked at more than 800 companies around the world. The ranking used feedback from more than 300,000 employees.
The study considered employee experience, career opportunities, pay and work-life balance.
Nedbank said its workplace plan focuses on meaningful work, ongoing learning, inclusion and chances for staff to grow their careers. The bank said it uses staff feedback to shape its workplace policies.
Its Voice of Employee system includes short pulse surveys, health checks on the organisation and focus groups. It also collects feedback from staff when they leave.
The bank said these answers help it find where leadership and working practices can improve. It has also started a Talent Marketplace, leadership training, wellbeing offerings and staff-led diversity forums.
Nedbank said it wants staff to be able to move between roles, learn new skills and have more say in the company.
Several other South African companies also made the list. Standard Bank Group placed 54th, Absa came 98th and FirstRand was 104th.
Investec ranked 197th and Sanlam placed 470th. MTN, Sasol, Mediclinic and South African Airways were also included.
Sanlam has appeared in other international workplace rankings before, including a Time list of global employers.
Microsoft took first place on the Forbes list. Apple, Alphabet and Nvidia also ranked highly, while Shopify, Sony and Lego were among the global top 10.
The Forbes list does not cover every business in the world. To qualify, companies must have more than 1,000 employees and operate in more than one country.
Source: this article is based on reporting by Cape Town ETC. Image: Cape Town ETC. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Business desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Anelisa Nkuna covers business and money news for Tzaneen Voice. Anelisa reports on the rand, fuel prices, interest rates, jobs, Eskom, Transnet, farming and company results. The aim is simple: explain what the numbers mean for household budgets, small businesses and workers in South Africa.