America's Dream Employers 2025

edited by Rachel Rabkin Peachman, Forbes

Long gone are the days when young employees hoped to land a job at a company, steadily pay their dues, and work for that employer for decades before earning a position in senior management and retiring with a company watch as a reward. 

Today, only 6% of Gen-Z workers say their primary goal is to rise to the leadership level, according to Deloitte's 2025 Gen Z and Millennial survey, which included nearly 23,500 respondents in 44 countries. But that doesn't mean younger generations are settling. Rather, the report revealed that both Gen-Z and Millennial employees are aiming high in the sense that they're more focused on learning and development, financial security, work-life balance and finding purpose in their jobs. 

For example, 86% of Gen-Zs and 84% of Millennials surveyed reported that they seek mentorship and guidance at work while 89% of both generations want on-the-job learning. And when considering a potential employer, more than half of respondents among both generations said meaningful work is very important—so much so that 44% of Gen-Zs and 45% of Millennials said they left a job because it lacked purpose. As for the top career goals reported by both Gen-Z and Millennials, those were financial independence and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. 

While these aspirations may seem lofty, there are employers that are making these dreams a reality for their workers, offering generous compensation, mission-driven initiatives, challenging assignments and benefits that promote mental wellbeing and flexible schedules. To identify these companies, Forbes produced America's Dream Employers 2026.