Key insights
- Thailand placed 18 companies on Best Workplaces in Asia 2026, six of them inside Asia’s top 10.
- Three are pharmaceutical companies, putting Thailand joint second across all of Asia in that sector.
- Thailand faces a projected shortfall of about four million working-age people by 2037.
Thailand placed 18 companies on the Best Workplaces in Asia 2026 list. Three of them work in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, which puts Thailand joint second across the whole of Asia in that sector, behind only Greater China.
Singapore and South Korea also have three. Every other country in Asia has fewer, and Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines have none at all.
For a country whose workforce is about to start shrinking, that is a useful sector to lead on.
How many Thai companies made Best Workplaces in Asia 2026?
Eighteen. Seventeen sit in the large category, meaning 500 or more employees across Asia, and one in the small and medium category, covering 50 to 499.
The list names 200 companies in total, 100 in each size group. Thailand ranks eleventh across Asia by company count and fifth in Southeast Asia.
| Market | Companies | Inside Asia’s top 25 |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore | 25 | 12 |
| Vietnam | 24 | 9 |
| Philippines | 20 | 7 |
| Indonesia | 19 | 13 |
| Thailand | 18 | 11 |
| Malaysia | 15 | 10 |
Six of Thailand’s own companies rank inside Asia’s top 10 for large workplaces and ten inside the top 25.
Three of the eighteen Thai entries are biotechnology and pharmaceuticals companies. AbbVie ranks fourth in Asia after climbing three places, Amgen fiftieth after climbing twelve, and Merz Aesthetics ninth among small and medium workplaces. It’s an incredibly strong showing for a market of Thailand’s size. Manufacturing is Thailand’s largest single group at four companies, and hospitality follows with three.
Manufacturing, hospitality and pharmaceuticals account for ten of the eighteen entries. All three need people physically present, and none can automate its way out of a labour shortage quickly.
Which Thai companies climbed in 2026?
Schneider Electric climbed 62 places in Asia, from 78th to 16th. Great Place To Work’s year-on-year data shows that is the largest gain by any company appearing on a Southeast Asian list this year. Amgen climbed 12 places to 50th and AbbVie three places to fourth.
| Company | 2025 | 2026 | Places gained |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schneider Electric | 78 | 16 | 62 |
| Amgen | 62 | 50 | 12 |
| AbbVie | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| Cisco | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Capella | 12 | 10 | 2 |
| COATS Global | 13 | 11 | 2 |
Four Thai companies are new to the list: Allianz at 25th, Central Retail Corporation at 55th, Mattel at 76th and Hyatt Hotels Corporation at 93rd.
Hilton held first place in Asia for a second consecutive year and appears on Thailand’s list, alongside Cisco in third and DHL in fifth.
Where does Thailand have room to grow?
One small and medium company from eighteen is the thinnest showing of the six Southeast Asian markets, level with Malaysia. The Philippines placed six, Singapore five and Vietnam four.
Merz Aesthetics carries that category on its own at ninth in Asia, which is a top-ten placement in a field of a hundred. The space below it is the clearest opportunity on Thailand’s list for next year.
What does Best Workplaces in Asia 2026 measure?
Employees answer 60 statements on a five-point scale and two open questions. The statements cover whether leaders are reachable and honest, whether pay and promotion are fair, and whether the work feels worth doing.
Consistency is what separates the list from a satisfaction score. Great Place To Work measures how far responses differ inside a single company, so a business where head office is thriving and the factory floor has given up ranks below one holding steady across every team.
The order is set by the people who work there. Placement comes from survey responses and nothing else.
Now in its twelfth year, the Asia list is part of a global program publishing Best Workplaces lists in more than 60 countries, backed by 30 years of research and benchmarking data representing more than 100 million employees worldwide.
Frequently asked questions
How many Thai companies are on Best Workplaces in Asia 2026?
Eighteen Thai companies made the Best Workplaces in Asia 2026 list. Seventeen are in the large category, for organisations with 500 or more employees across Asia, and one is in the small and medium category, covering 50 to 499 employees. Thailand ranks eleventh across Asia by company count and fifth in Southeast Asia, with six of its companies placing inside Asia’s top 10.
Which Thai company ranked highest on Best Workplaces in Asia 2026?
Hilton took first place across Asia among large workplaces and appears on Thailand’s list, followed by Cisco in third, AbbVie in fourth and DHL in fifth. Merz Aesthetics placed ninth among small and medium workplaces. Rankings show Asia-wide positions within each size group, so one company can appear on several country lists carrying the same number.
Are the Best Workplaces in Asia rankings paid for?
No. Placement on the Best Workplaces in Asia list is decided by employee survey results and nothing else. Employees complete the confidential Trust Index Survey, and their responses determine whether a company makes the list and where it ranks. Companies cannot buy a position, and no external panel or judging committee sets the order. Surveys must also meet strict requirements for distribution and response rates.
How big is Thailand’s labour shortage?
Research from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies projects Thai labour demand of 44.71 million by 2037 against a working-age population of 40.7 million, a shortfall of roughly four million people. About 14 million Thais, one in five, were already aged 60 or over in 2023, and deaths have exceeded births for five consecutive years. Retention is a capacity question in that setting.
When was Best Workplaces in Asia 2026 announced?
The 2026 Best Workplaces in Asia list was published on Thursday 10 September 2026, the twelfth edition of the list. This year’s edition drew on surveys of companies employing more than 8.9 million people across Asia, with more than 3.8 million individual employee responses, and the listed companies were surveyed across 36 countries and territories.
