An annual study has revealed the top 25 employers in Germany in terms of employee satisfaction. Technology companies seem to be well-liked by German employees, with American software provider Salesforce topping the ranking.

Germany’s best employers of 2022

It’s not only important for employees to be comfortable where they work; companies also benefit from a happy, productive workforce. To this end, American employer review site Glassdoor has released the results of its annual “Best Employers” study, along with a ranking of the top 25 most popular employers in Germany.

The study looks to discern which companies keep their employees happiest through eight different categories:

• Overall Company Rating
• Work-Life Balance
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Leadership
• Compensation and Benefits
• Culture
• Career Opportunities
• Recommendation
• Business Forecast.

Glassdoor developed an algorithm that evaluated all employee reviews from October 2020 to October 2021 to come up with its list of the top most popular. Only companies with more than 1000 employees were included in the study, and they also had to have more than 20 ratings for each category. Since this likely excludes small businesses and start-ups, it's perhaps unsurprising that the top 10 employers were all major international companies and institutions.

Technology companies becoming increasingly popular

US software provider Salesforce bagged the coveted top spot this year, rising from 11th place last year with an average score of 4,7 out of 5. Technology companies did particularly well in the ranking overall, reflecting the increasing importance of technology and digitisation driven by the coronavirus pandemic. Eight technology companies made it into the top 25 employers, including Google, which took second place, and two newcomers; the software developer Personio (21), based in Munich, and American IT Group Cisco systems (23).

The study reveals that, among other things, employees value good communication, teamwork and development opportunities, as well as quality leadership and high salary. German companies were also particularly well-liked, with two-thirds of the companies featured in the ranking being German.

It might be interesting to note that typically well-performing motoring companies like BMW Volkswagen and Audi have dropped out of the top 25. As has the pharmaceutical company Roche, which actually topped the ranking last year. There was also a surprising number of newcomers included in the top 25. 11 new companies featured this year, including Proctor & Gamble and German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim.

The best employers in 2022

The following companies are the most popular with employees in Germany:

1. Salesforce (4,7)
2. Google (4,6)
3. Boston Consulting Group (4,6)
4. Mercedes-Benz International (4,5)
5. Porsche (4,4)
6. SAP (4,4)
7. OTTO (4,4)
8. Boehringer Ingelheim (4,4)
9. Procter & Gamble (4,4)
10. Research Center Jülich (4,3)
11. Robert Bosch (4,3)
12. BSH Hausgeräte (4,3)
13. Deutsche Boerse Group (4,3)
14. IKEA (4,3)
15. Siemens Healthineers (4,3)
16. MHP – A Porsche Company (4,3)
17. Siemens (4,3)
18. Vodafone (4,3)
19. Fraunhofer Society (4,3)
20. Adesso SE (4,3)
21. Personio (4,2)
22. Alliance (4,2)
23. Cisco Systems (4,2)
24. Microsoft (4,2)
25. Toom Baumarkt (4,2)

For more details on the ranking, visit the Glassdoor website.