23 Michigan Companies Rank Among America’s Best Employers: Forbes

If you’re looking for a good place to work in Michigan, the automotive industry is probably a good place to start. Forbes has released its annual rankings of best mid-sized and large employers and 10 automotive companies made the lists — by far the largest number from any industry in the state.

Ford Motor Company ranked highest among Michigan automotive companies. The Dearborn-based automaker ranked No. 126 among large employers nationwide. Consumers Energy is the best big company to work for the in state, checking in at 62nd in Forbes’ rankings.

Among mid-sized companies, Western Michigan University is the best in The Mitten at No. 17 overall. Construction firm HNTB (179) and Lansing-based insurance company Jackson National Life rounded out Michigan’s top three.

Nationally, Costco, Google and REI rank at the top on Forbes' list of 500 best large employers. To compile the rankings, Forbes split employers into two groups, midsized — companies with 1,000 to 5,000 employees — and large employers — companies with 5,000 or more employees.

Topping the list of America's best midsized employers was Lush, the indulgent retail cosmetics brand. Though the company is headquartered in the United Kingdom, it operates 200 locations in the United States.

"According to respondents, Lush employees were most taken with the company’s image, its diversity, and to a lesser extent its working conditions," says Forbes.

Rackspace, a cloud-computing company based in Texas, came in second. And in third place is New Seasons Market, a privately owned Portland-based chain of grocery stores. The company leaped to third place after being 42nd on the list in 2016.

To compile the rankings, Forbes worked with research firm Statista. The firm surveyed 30,000 American workers to collect opinions on the companies they work for. The most important factor in determining the rankings were how likely employers were to recommend their company to friends and family. Employees were also asked to recommend other companies, which also factored into the rankings, but to a lesser degree.

The Michigan companies that made the list of best large employers are:

1. Consumers Energy, Jackson (62)
2. Michigan State University, East Lansing (94)
3. Sparrow Health System, Lansing (97)
4. DTE Energy, Detroit (124)
5. Ford Motor Company, Dearborn (126)
6. Dow Chemical, Midland (129)
7. Magna International, Troy (147)
8. Daimler, Farmington Hills (170)
9. Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan, Detroit (184)
10. Stryker, Kalamazoo (193)
11. GM, Detroit (325)
12. Federal Mogul, Southfield (367)
13. Whirlpool, Benton Harbor (446)
14. ZF Group, Northville (449)
15. Fiat Chrysler, Auburn Hills (477)
16. Faurecia, Auburn Hills (479)

According to Forbes, America's best large employers are:

1. Costco Wholesale, based in Issaquah, Washington
2. Google, based in Mountain View, California
3. REI, based in Kent, Washington
4. Memorial Hermann Health System, based in Houston, Texas
5. United Service Automobile Association, based in San Antonio Texas
6. MD Anderson Cancer Center, based in Houston, Texas
7. Penn Medicine, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
8. Mayo Clinic, based in Rochester, Minnesota
9. City of Austin, Austin, Texas
10. Wegmans Food Markets, based in Rochester, New York

>>>See the full list here.

The Michigan companies that made the list of best midsized employers are:

1. Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo (17)
2. HNTB, Detroit (179)
3. Jackson National Life, Lansing (190)
4. American Axle & Manufacturing, Detroit (237)
5. Auto-Owners Insurance, Lansing (247)
6. Pet Supplies Plus, Livonia (269)
7. Nexteer Automotive, Saginaw (270)

According to Forbes, America's best midsized employers are:

1. LUSH
2. Rackspace Hosting, based in San Antonio, Texas
3. New Seasons Market, based in Portland, Oregon
4. Celgene, based in Summit, New Jersey
5. National Credit Union Administration, based in Alexandria, Virginia
6. Slalom Consulting, based in Stamford, Connecticut
7. Gartner, based in Seattle, Washington
8. Georgetown University, based in Washington D.C.
9. CDM Smith, based in Boston, Massachusetts
10. JM Family Enterprises, based in Deerfield Beach, Florida

>>>See the full list here.

Did your employer make the list? Let us know in the comments below.

Photo by Lane Montgomery via Flickr Commons