Philippines tops Southeast Asia workplace ranking with 54 companies
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has the highest number of companies recognized in Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For in Southeast Asia 2026, with 54 Philippine-certified organizations making the annual list.
Released Tuesday by Fortune and Great Place To Work, the ranking recognizes companies that have demonstrated strong workplace cultures, based on confidential employee survey responses and assessments of workplace practices.
The 2026 list drew feedback from 1,322,537 employees across 10 Southeast Asian countries, with Philippine companies accounting for more than half of the 100 organizations recognized.
Leading the Philippine entries is Golden Arches Development Corp., the operator of McDonald’s Philippines, which debuted at No. 7, making it the highest-ranked new entrant. Balibago Waterworks System followed at No. 19, while Megaworld Corp. placed No. 22, moving up significantly from its No. 90 ranking last year.
Other Philippine-headquartered companies recognized include Arcanys at No. 34, D&V Philippines at No. 56, Outsourced Quality Assured Services at No. 66, Universal Robina Corp. at No. 82, GoTeam at No. 83 and Altius Inspiro at No. 96.
The ranking also features international companies operating in the region, including Cisco at No. 4, Synchrony at No. 41 and Atlassian at No. 100.
Charles Plumley, general manager of Great Place To Work Philippines, said the results reflect how companies that invest in their employees can build stronger workplace cultures and improve business performance.
“Global companies have long come to the Philippines for its people, but this year’s Fortune list illustrates what happens when employers invest in building high-performance workplace cultures,” Plumley said.
He noted that 27 companies on the list earned certification exclusively in the Philippines, underscoring the contribution of local teams to the recognition.
“Golden Arches’ debut at No. 7 brings that story to the frontline, where scaling a strong culture across restaurant teams is critical to delivering a consistent customer experience and business results,” he added. “Building great workplaces helps businesses compete on quality and productivity while creating more rewarding careers for Filipinos.”
The recognition highlights companies with different business backgrounds and histories. Golden Arches opened the Philippines' first McDonald's restaurant on Morayta Street in Manila in 1981 and now operates around 800 restaurants nationwide.
Balibago Waterworks, meanwhile, traces its beginnings to 1958 as a local water provider in Angeles City, Pampanga. It has since expanded to more than 90 municipal franchises across Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.
Megaworld, the developer behind major townships such as Eastwood City, Uptown Bonifacio and McKinley Hill, recorded one of the biggest improvements among Philippine companies, climbing 68 places from its previous ranking.
Now in its second year, the Southeast Asia edition builds on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For ranking, which has relied on Great Place To Work’s workplace research in the United States since 1998.
The complete 2026 ranking is available at greatplacetowork.com.ph/best-workplaces/sea/fortune.
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