Which companies offer employees in Europe the best working conditions? A joint study by the Financial Times and Statista lists 16 Spanish companies among Europe’s top 1,000 employers. BBVA leads the list of Spanish companies.
Spain Expat Press Editorial Team
by Marlon Gallego Bosbach
Which companies are considered particularly attractive employers in Europe? The Financial Times and Statista explored this question in their latest ranking, “Europe’s Best Employers 2026.”
The result: A total of 16 companies from Spain have made it onto the list of Europe’s top 1,000 employers. The Spanish banking sector has been particularly successful in this regard. Leading the Spanish companies is BBVA, which ranks 20th across Europe.
BBVA is Spain’s highest-ranked employer
With 91.68 points, BBVA ranks well ahead of the other Spanish companies on the list. Across Europe, the bank takes 20th place, making it the only Spanish company among the European top 100.
Abanca ranks second among Spanish companies with 83.51 points, placing it 159th in the European comparison. It is followed by Saica in 185th place with 82.60 points and Telefónica in 230th place with 80.67 points.
Iberdrola ranks fifth among Spanish employers with 80.01 points and holds the 252nd spot in Europe.
Spain’s 16 best employers in the European ranking
The Spanish companies included in the ranking span numerous sectors:
| Company | Points | European ranking |
|---|---|---|
| BBVA | 91.68 | 20 |
| Abanca | 83.51 | 159 |
| Saica | 82.60 | 185 |
| Telefónica | 80.67 | 230 |
| Iberdrola | 80.01 | 252 |
| Logista | 77.40 | 323 |
| Mapfre | 75.17 | 387 |
| Mango | 75.11 | 388 |
| Amadeus | 73.15 | 458 |
| Inditex | 72.96 | 473 |
| El Corte Inglés | 69.99 | 591 |
| Mercadona | 67.22 | 690 |
| Indra | 67.03 | 703 |
| Banco Santander | 66.62 | 727 |
| NH Hotels | 65.72 | 786 |
| Banco Sabadell | 64.33 | 853 |
As a result, the recognized companies include some of Spain’s best-known brands—spanning sectors from banking and energy to telecommunications, fashion, retail, logistics, and tourism.
Representing well-known Spanish brands
In addition to BBVA, numerous large Spanish companies appear on the list. Alongside BBVA, Banco Santander and Banco Sabadell are represented from the banking sector. In the energy sector, Iberdrola makes the ranking.
The Spanish fashion industry is also represented: Mango ranks 388th, while Inditex—the parent company of brands such as Zara—lands at number 473. El Corte Inglés and Mercadona represent the retail sector. Telefónica represents the telecommunications industry, while Mapfre is among the recognized insurance companies.
Amadeus also represents a major Spanish company in the travel software sector, while NH Hotels represents the hotel industry.
More than six million reviews analyzed
The ranking is not based on a decision by a Financial Times jury. For the study, Statista and the Financial Times analyzed more than six million employee ratings, allowing employees to rate both their own employer and other companies.
A key question was whether employees would recommend their employer to friends or family members. In addition, various aspects of how the employer is perceived were factored into the study. These include, among other things, working conditions, the work environment, opportunities for development, and general satisfaction. The assessment is thus based primarily on the employees’ perspective.
Strict requirements for participation
Not every company could automatically be included in the ranking. Companies of a certain size and with an international presence were taken into account. The study examined more than 15,000 companies before the final list of the 1,000 best employers was compiled.
Among other things, the companies had to have a sufficient number of employees and a presence in several European countries. This also means that the ranking does not reflect the entire Spanish labor market; primarily large, internationally active companies are eligible for inclusion in such a European study.
The European elite
The 2026 European ranking is led by companies from various sectors and countries. Skanska, from Sweden, holds the top spot. It is followed by Microsoft, Airbus, Naval Group, and Google, among others.
BBVA ranks 20th, making it the highest-placed Spanish company. The gap between BBVA and the other Spanish companies is striking; while the Spanish bank ranks among Europe’s top 20 employers, Abanca does not appear until 159th place.
It is not just banks that perform well
The results also show that attractive employers in Spain are not limited to a single industry. The 16 companies include banks, energy companies, telecommunications groups, insurers, fashion companies, retail chains, logistics firms, technology providers, and hotel companies.
Companies that rank among Spain’s major, well-known employers are thus particularly strongly represented.
What the ranking means for employees
For employees, such a ranking can provide an indication of how staff perceive certain large companies as employers. However, the list should not be equated with an objective comparison of salaries or working conditions. The ranking primarily measures the perceptions and satisfaction of the employees surveyed.
Aspects such as average salary, working hours, opportunities for advancement, additional benefits, or the specific situation at an individual location are not fully reflected by this. Consequently, the fact that a company ranks higher does not automatically mean it offers the same conditions for every employee.
16 Spanish companies among Europe’s top 1,000
Despite these limitations, the ranking shows that several major Spanish companies achieve high employer appeal, even when compared with their European counterparts. This is particularly evident in the case of BBVA, which secured 20th place in Europe with a score of 91.68 points. It is followed by Abanca, Saica, Telefónica, and Iberdrola. In total, 16 companies with ties to Spain made it onto the list of Europe’s top 1,000 employers.
The ranking thus provides an up-to-date insight into which major companies are perceived by their employees as particularly attractive employers – while also highlighting which Spanish corporations rank particularly high in a European comparison.
