After that ludicrous ICE raid at the Hyundai factory in Georgia recently—the one that detained hundreds of legals workers, the Korean company appears to be raising questions about its purpose in the US and whether it wants to stay. In contrast, the brand has just been named as one of the best companies to work for globally, ranking 33rd out of 1,000 organizations in TIME and Statista’s ‘World’s Best Companies 2025’ list – a rise of 159 positions over its 2024 ranking of 192nd.
Hyundai Motor was the only Korean company to feature in the top 100 and led Asian automakers in TIME’s annual rundown. So even though we don’t have figures now, we are sure we will find numbers that support this claim.
The TIME and Statista’s ‘World’s Best Companies 2025’ evaluation is based on three key pillars—Employee satisfaction, revenue growth, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance.
This is the third iteration of TIME’s ‘World’s Best Companies’ list, following the publication’s partnership with Statista – a global data and business intelligence platform – which began in 2023 to identify the world’s best-performing organizations.
How did Hyundai Motor perform across TIME’s assessment categories?
Hyundai performed strongly across all three categories, with the company’s rise in the rankings this year reflecting sustainable improvements across all evaluation criteria – including global employee satisfaction, continued revenue growth, and an ongoing commitment to ESG initiatives.
Financial performance has shown consistent growth over the past three years. Revenue increased approximately 23 percent from $93 billion in 2022 to $118 billion in 2024.
This growth stems from Hyundai Motor’s enhanced global product mix focused on high-value models, worldwide demand, and an expanded eco-friendly vehicle strategy.
Hyundai’s continued market performance, sustainable revenue growth, and profitability over this period was reflected by rating raises from major global credit ratings agencies, including S&P Global, Moody’s Investors Service, and Fitch Ratings.
How has TIME recognized Hyundai Motor’s other innovations?
Hyundai Motor’s latest achievement, ranking 33rd in TIME’s ‘World’s Best Companies 2025’ list, is the latest in a list of awards the Korean mobility brand has received from TIME.
Most recently, Hyundai Motor Company and PlusAI’s autonomous XCIENT Fuel Cell Class 8 heavy-duty truck was named in TIME’s ‘Best Inventions of 2025’ – one of just 300 groundbreaking solutions to be chosen, highlighting the industry-defining potential of Hyundai Motor and PlusAI’s hydrogen-powered autonomous truck.
