Methodology · World’s Best Employers 2027
How the World's Best Employers 2027 study works
Our methodology is a meta-analysis. We bring together data that already exists and rate every employer with the same scoring model.
What does meta-analysis mean?
Chemnitz University of Technology describes a meta-analysis as a summary of the current state of research on a question, based on the statistical aggregation of empirical results from comparable primary studies.
For World’s Best Employers we apply this idea to employer attractiveness. We use data from many freely available sources and weight it in different ways. Subjective opinions, such as employee reviews, sit next to objective criteria, such as benefits that employers communicate publicly.
The five phases of the study
Once a year, in a multi-stage process, we identify the most attractive employers among more than 2.7 million businesses in the United Kingdom. Each phase builds on the one before. For the 2027 study, all data is collected and scored between 10 and 30 November 2026. The results are published on 1 December 2026, and the employers that qualify are recognised for the year 2027.
Defining the research question
We start from published research on what employees look for in an employer and turn it into clear criteria.
Selecting primary sources
For each criterion we choose sources that provide comparable data. For the United Kingdom we use more than 20 of them.
Collecting and coding the data
From 10 to 30 November 2026, our team gathers data on more than 2.7 million businesses and codes it into the scoring model. AI helps us cope with the volume, and people check the results.
Analysis
Every employer receives points in ten core areas, up to a maximum of 500.
Awarding
Employers with at least 300 points are named World’s Best Employer – United Kingdom 2027.
500 points in ten core areas
Every employer can reach up to 500 points. The points are spread across ten fixed core areas, so that no single aspect decides the result.
Employers with at least 300 points receive the award World’s Best Employer – United Kingdom 2027. Only recognised employers can buy a marketing package and promote the award. Which core areas we use and which sources feed into them is explained on our sources page.
The study in a short video
Who is behind the study?
The World’s Best Employers study is carried out by the International Quality Standards Network, operated by Quality Standardization and Certification LLC, based in Sheridan, Wyoming, USA (quality-standard.com). Under the name USIQ – United States Institute for Quality (usiq.org), the company develops quality standards and certifies organisations against them. DIQP – Deutsches Institut für Qualitätsstandards und -prüfung (diqp.eu), ÖIQP – Österreichisches Institut für Qualitätsstandards und -prüfung (oiqp.at) and SIQP in Switzerland are also part of the network. The study takes their employer seals into account and scores them like any other audited certification, with no extra points. The study is published every year in seven countries: the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Türkiye and the United States.
The study is independent and not affiliated with other rankings that use a similar name.
Questions about the study?
Write to us if you have questions about the 2027 study, your result or how to use the seal.
