Microsoft has once again taken first place among the brands and organisations with the best image and reputation for employability in Portugal, Executive Digest reports.

The company achieved a score of 83 points in ONSTRATEGY’s annual Employer Brand study, which was conducted between September 2025 and July 2026. The analysis involved more than 50,000 citizens, in a representative sample of Portuguese society in terms of geography, gender, age, and level of education.

More than 200 brands and organisations were evaluated based on eight dimensions: products and services, innovation, work environment, remuneration, training, career development, social responsibility, and governance and leadership.

Ten achieve excellence rating

In 2026, ten brands or organisations surpassed the 80-point mark, which is considered a level of excellence, whereas in 2025 only five had managed to reach the 80-point mark.

Vodafone ranked second with a score of 82.7, followed by Nestlé at 82.6 points, Delta with 82.4 points, and Lego with 82.1 points.

Next are L’Oréal with 81.8 points, Samsung with 81.5, Nespresso with 80.9, McDonald’s with 80.4, and Google with 80.3.

Nespresso records biggest increase

Nespresso and Samsung stand out as the brands that improved their ratings the most, with Nespresso experiencing an increase of 8.4 points and Samsung an increase of 7.6 points.

Among the other notable increases, McDonald’s rose by 6.8 points, Heineken by 4.8 points, Apple by 4.7 points, Novo Banco and Super Bock Group by 4.6 points each, and TAP by 3.7 points.

José de Mello registered an increase of 3.2 points, while Coca-Cola advanced by 3.1 points and Sonae by 2.8 points.

The ONSTRATEGY statement also lists Novo Banco for a second time among the brands with the highest growth, with a variation of 3.1 points, in addition to the 4.6-point increase already stated.

What the ranking measures

The ranking aims not only to measure companies’ recognition as employers, but also public perceptions of factors such as working conditions, remuneration, career advancement opportunities, training, innovation, and leadership.