Nvidia Israel continues to lead the ranking of the best companies to work for, for the second consecutive year, after jumping 15 spots last year from 16th place to first — according to CofaceBDI’s 2025 annual ranking, which marks the 21st year of publishing the 100 best companies to work for.
Google Israel remains in second place, and Microsoft stays in third. The company that made the biggest leap this year is Israel Canada, which climbed to 53rd place from 81st last year — a jump of 28 places. Elbit Systems entered the top ten with an impressive rise of 9 places. SAP also saw a notable improvement, climbing from 11th to 7th and joining the top ten this year.
Another notable trend is seen among defense companies, which generally experienced gains this year — likely due to the security situation and rising demand for defense solutions. Elbit Systems rose dramatically from 19th to 10th place, and Rafael advanced by 7 places, from 27th to 20th — another significant achievement.
Roy Minkov, CEO of CofaceBDI: “The future belongs to organizations that understand that technology is only half the equation, and the other half is people. Today, employees are looking not just for a salary, but for meaning. Not just flexibility, but belonging. A culture that truly listens, sees the person behind the role, and bridges generations — connecting innovation with emotion, and business goals with personal fulfillment.”
As part of the ranking, Israel’s largest survey of its kind is conducted, involving 180 companies and hundreds of thousands of employees. According to the survey, workplace relationships remain the most important factor for employees, with direct supervisor management in second place, and job stability third. Interestingly, resilience and personal fulfillment have shifted due to the times, and salary has dropped to 8th place among employee priorities. It seems workers are seeking meaning, fulfillment, and connection in their workplace.
In the high-tech sector, workplace relationships are also the most important factor. However, compared to the overall market, flexible working hours rank third in importance among high-tech workers (compared to seventh overall), highlighting its critical importance in the sector. Looking at age groups, flexibility is particularly important for Gen Z and decreases with age. In high-tech, job stability ranks fifth (versus third overall), while company resilience — which rose from sixth to fifth place overall — is only eighth in importance in high-tech.
About 30% of all workers in the economy use artificial intelligence at work
According to the survey, the AI revolution has deeply penetrated Israel’s job market: Nearly a third of all workers already use AI tools in their jobs. Among high-tech employees, the figure is 61.4%, while in the public sector it’s only around 16%. Among AI users, about 35% report that it improves work processes, 38% say AI tools save time, and around 27% say they are learning new things through AI.
Interestingly, in the commerce sector, 40% of AI users report that AI teaches them new things — the highest percentage among all sectors. However, about a third of workers fear that over time, AI will replace some office jobs, with the greatest concern reported in commerce (40.5%) and finance (40.8%).
Job market recovery: 71% of high-tech companies report increased workforce
According to a survey of HR managers conducted by CofaceBDI, contrary to gloomy predictions of a crisis in high-tech, 71% of high-tech companies reported an increase in workforce in 2024, compared to 54% in the overall economy. Only 7% of high-tech companies reported a decrease in staff. The biggest challenge HR managers cite is recruiting talent and suitable employees (63%), followed by employee retention (52%) and balancing retention with the compensation employees expect (44%). The most effective recruitment method today among Israeli companies is employee referral (61%).
The most important factor for employees in the workplace, according to the HR managers' survey, is workplace relationships. In the finance sector, 64% of respondents said direct supervisor management is the most important parameter. Gender pay gap perceptions persist: Only 38% of women are satisfied with their salary.
One concerning finding from the survey is the ongoing gap in salary satisfaction between men and women. Only 38% of women feel they are paid fairly for their role, compared to 51% of men. Still, there is also a gap in promotion expectations: 58% of women believe they will advance at their workplace, compared to 65% of men. The survey also shows that Israeli employees demonstrate greater job stability — but still, one in three is looking for a new job.
Hybrid work is the norm: 40% of employees report working in a hybrid model
40% of employees report working in a hybrid model, with about 45.5% of them working just one day from home. In the finance sector, around 50% work hybrid, in high-tech around 66%, and in the public sector, less than 20%.
Workplace meaning: Personal fulfillment comes first
In response to the question of why employees choose to stay at their current company, personal fulfillment ranked first at 29.4%, and in high-tech, it reached 35%. When asked whether their workplace motivates them to contribute and achieve, 82.3% of high-tech employees answered positively. 65.4% of men and 61.6% of women said they are making full use of their skills at work, with the highest rates of fulfillment reported among those aged 50 and up. Asked what factor would make them happier at work, 58% said better salary and benefits.
The ranking conducted by CofaceBDI is based on surveys involving hundreds of thousands of employees at over 180 companies and is the largest of its kind in Israel. Company placement in the ranking reflects both direct and relative employee satisfaction and is influenced by how often the company is mentioned as a desired place to work.