Quebec is home to many of Canada's biggest companies, but only some have the distinction of being considered world-class.
Earlier this month, Forbes released its 2025 list of the World's Best Employers, ranking 900 organizations across 50 countries based on employee feedback about pay, work-life balance, advancement opportunities, and overall reputation. The global survey, conducted with research firm Statista, gathered more than 300,000 anonymous responses from workers around the world.
The following seven companies based in Quebec made the cut this year:
- Desjardins (#126) — Headquartered in Lévis, it's Canada's largest financial cooperative with more than 44,000 employees.
- National Bank of Canada (#294) — Based in Montreal, the bank employs about 29,500 people across the country.
- BMO (#593) — With its head office in Montreal, BMO is the oldest bank in the country.
- Cascades (#699) — Operating out of Kingsey Falls, this packaging and paper products company employs 10,000 workers in North America.
- Kruger (#794) — A Montreal conglomerate best known for its paper, packaging, and renewable-energy divisions, with 5,700 employees.
- Air Canada (#807) — The national carrier is headquartered in Montreal's Saint-Laurent borough and has a workforce of 41,000.
- ALDO Group (#830) — The global footwear and accessories retailer is based in Montreal and employs 5,795 people worldwide.
Across the country, nearly 30 Canadian employers were recognized by Forbes this year, representing sectors from finance to food production. E-commerce platform Shopify claimed the nation's top spot, ranking 14th on the global scale.
Here's where each Canadian brand landed:
- #14 – Shopify (8,100 employees) – Ottawa, Ontario
- #56 – Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts (50,000 employees) – Toronto, Ontario
- #126 – Desjardins (44,290 employees) – Lévis, Quebec
- #256 – Sun Life Financial (50,000 employees) – Toronto, Ontario
- #262 – Lululemon Athletica (34,000 employees) – Vancouver, British Columbia
- #284 – Manulife (38,000 employees) – Toronto, Ontario
- #294 – National Bank of Canada (29,509 employees) – Montreal, Quebec
- #309 – RBC (97,000 employees) – Toronto, Ontario
- #313 – Hatch (10,000 employees) – Mississauga, Ontario
- #314 – Fortis (Canada) (9,200 employees) – St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
- #387 – Colliers International (24,000 employees) – Toronto, Ontario
- #399 – OpenText (24,000 employees) – Waterloo, Ontario
- #446 – Agnico Eagle Mines (16,000 employees) – Toronto, Ontario
- #447 – TD Bank Group (95,000 employees) – Toronto, Ontario
- #484 – CIBC (50,000 employees) – Toronto, Ontario
- #560 – Intact Financial (30,000 employees) – Toronto, Ontario
- #576 – TELUS (104,700 employees) – Vancouver, British Columbia
- #593 – BMO (46,722 employees) – Montreal, Quebec
- #596 – Thomson Reuters (26,400 employees) – Toronto, Ontario
- #606 – McCain Foods (20,000 employees) – Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick
- #699 – Cascades (10,000 employees) – Kingsey Falls, Quebec
- #724 – CCL Industries (26,000 employees) – Toronto, Ontario
- #729 – Canadian Natural Resources (10,640 employees) – Calgary, Alberta
- #794 – Kruger (5,700 employees) – Montreal, Quebec
- #807 – Air Canada (41,000 employees) – Montreal, Quebec
- #830 – ALDO Group (5,795 employees) – Montreal, Quebec
- #847 – Nutrien (25,500 employees) – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
- #870 – Maple Leaf Foods (13,500 employees) – Mississauga, Ontario
- #895 – Cenovus Energy (5,000 employees) – Calgary, Alberta
Meanwhile, at the global level, Forbes' top 10 is dominated by (mostly American) tech, aviation, and automotive giants.
- Microsoft (United States)
- Delta Air Lines (United States)
- Alphabet (United States)
- Adobe (United States)
- BMW Group (Germany)
- NVIDIA (United States)
- Sony (Japan)
- IBM (United States)
- Apple (United States)
- Lego Group (Denmark)
Forbes' ranking was based on how likely employees were to recommend their workplace to others, along with ratings for pay, career growth, work-life balance, and overall reputation. Responses from the past three years were analyzed, with more weight given to recent feedback from current staff.
So if you're thinking about a local career move or taking a job abroad, this might be a good place to start your search.
You can explore the entire Forbes ranking here.
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