More than 6 in 10 companies in the United States plan to add new positions in the first half of 2025, according to a survey conducted this past November by Robert Half, a talent solutions and consulting firm. That study of more than 1,680 hiring managers revealed that 63% of respondents plan to add new permanent positions to their organizations, while 34% intend to fill vacated positions. The upshot: The U.S. labor market has remained tight over the past year, and qualified job candidates can afford to be selective when choosing a new employer.
High on the list of employee needs? A recent report from tech research firm Gartner reveals that workers are seeking more on-the-job training, a culture of productive collaboration and inclusion, and improved communication and efficiency surrounding the adoption of AI tools. To find employers that meet these criteria and more, check out the companies on our 10th anniversary editions of America’s Best Large Employers 2025 and America’s Best Midsize Employers 2025.
Consider Houston Methodist, which ranked No. 3 on our large employer list. As Teal Riley, nurse director at the health system’s medical intensive care unit, notes, the medical center offers hands-on training, advancement programs, and numerous opportunities to learn from senior staffers. Case in point: After starting at the hospital as a staff nurse in 1998, Riley’s colleagues and her mentor consistently found ways to help her develop new skills by inviting her to observe surgical procedures, exposing her to leadership prospects within the organization, and by simply keeping the proverbial door open to questions and conversations. “Between the directors, the managers, and the ICU doctors, there is a really good rapport and bouncing ideas off each other,” says Riley.
Teaching and training are also paramount at In-N-Out Burger, which ranked No. 8 among large employers this year and has made our list for all 10 of editions. Employees—called “associates”—at In-N-Out are given “a lot of training to teach and instill our high standards,” says Lynsi Snyder, owner and president of the family-owned drive-thru chain. “Part of our mission and purpose statement is a promise to our associates to provide a team-oriented atmosphere whereby goal setting and communications exist, and to provide them excellent training and development—whether they are here for a career or just a year or two.”
Rounding out the top 10 spots on America’s Best Large Employers 2025 were organizations across a range of industries, including education (University of Notre Dame, No. 1), retail and wholesale (Trader Joe’s, No. 2), semiconductors and electrical engineering (NVIDIA, No. 4), banking and financial services (Navy Federal Credit Union, No. 5; and Raymond James Financial, 10), IT software and services (Google, No. 6; and Microsoft, No. 7), and transportation (Delta Air Lines, No. 9).
To create this 10th annual list along with its counterpart, America’s Best Midsize Employers 2025, Forbes partnered with market research firm Statista to survey more than 217,000 employees working at companies within the U.S. that employ more than 1,000 people. The organizations were stratified so that companies with 1,000 to 5,000 employees were deemed midsize, while companies with more than 5,000 employees were considered large employers.
Survey respondents were asked if they would recommend their employer to others and to rate it based on a range of criteria, including salary, work environment, training programs and opportunities to advance. Participants were also asked if they would recommend their previous employers (within the past two years) and the employers they knew through their industry experience or through friends or family who worked there.
The responses were tallied along with additional survey data from the last three years, with the more recent data and the evaluations from current employees weighted more heavily than others. Ultimately, each employer was given a score, and the 1,199 organizations with the highest scores landed on one of our two final lists—498 companies on America’s Best Midsize Employers 2025, and 701 on America’s Best Large Employers 2025.
Nabbing the No. 1 spot on the midsize employers list was Shriners Hospitals for Children, which improved from No. 12 in 2024. And similar to the large employers list, the other top organizations came from a mix of industries, including government services (Federal Communications Commission, No. 2), education (Western Carolina University, No. 3), construction (Toll Brothers, No. 4) and banking and financial services (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, No. 5).
Unsurprisingly, depending on the industry and the employer, different factors seemed to drive survey respondents to recommend each organization. But among the top 5 employers on the large and midsize lists, respondents, on average, rated each company’s image more highly than other aspects of the company—such as salary or atmosphere—indicating that a positive company image is a key driver of employee satisfaction. Another facet that employees rated highly among the top 5 companies on each list was working conditions, suggesting that when organizations provide workers with a safe and comfortable environment and appropriate equipment, employees feel valued.
In addition to these core company attributes, there appear to be intangible company characteristics—often involving workplace culture and purpose—that propel companies into the top ranks year after year. At NASA, No. 20, on the large employers list (up from No. 22 last year), for example, employees say they are fulfilled by the organization’s community and calling. “We treasure the NASA family. Taking care of our employees matters to us and we know employees are helping us go above and beyond to achieve our mission—and we have a bold and really complicated mission,” says Anne Roemer, NASA’s deputy chief human capital officer. In fact, she says, it’s right there in NASA’s motto: “People first, mission always.”
For the full list of America’s Best Large Employers, click here.
For the full list of America’s Best Midsize Employers, click here.
For the Best Employer Icons, which have earned a ranking on all 10 editions of America’s Best Employers, click here.
Methodology
To create Forbes’ 10th anniversary editions of America’s Best Midsize Employers and America’s Best Large Employers, we partnered with market research firm Statista to survey more than 217,000 employees working at companies within the U.S. that employ more than 1,000 people. The organizations were stratified so that companies with 1,000 to 5,000 employees were deemed midsize, while companies with more than 5,000 employees were considered large employers.
Survey respondents (who remained anonymous so they could answer freely) were asked if they would recommend their employer to others and to rate it based on a range of criteria, including salary, work environment, training programs and opportunities to advance. Participants were also asked if they would recommend their previous employers (within the past two years) and the employers they knew through their industry experience or through friends or family who worked there.
The responses were tallied and analyzed along with additional survey data from the last three years, which allowed for a robust assessment of organizations that consistently ranked well versus those that may have had just one good year. The more recent data and the evaluations from current employees were weighted more heavily than others.
Ultimately, each employer was given a score, and the 1,199 organizations with the highest scores landed on one of our two final lists—498 companies on America’s Best Midsize Employers 2025, and 701 organizations on America’s Best Large Employers 2025.
As with all Forbes lists, companies pay no fee to participate or be selected. To read more about how we make these lists, click here. For questions about this list, please email listdesk [at] forbes.com.