Philippine pharmaceutical company Unilab Inc. emerged as the highest-ranked company of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) origin in TIME magazine and Statista’s Asia-Pacific’s Best Employers of 2027, placing 24th among 500 companies in the region.

Unilab scored 89.15 out of 100, leading other ASEAN-based companies and topping the list of Philippine firms included in the inaugural ranking.

The Campos-Hess-led company ranked ahead of Ayala Corp. at 32nd with a score of 88.07, Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. at 44th, San Miguel Corp. at 55th and Jollibee Foods Corp. at 89th.

Other Philippine companies that made the list were Del Monte Philippines at 105th, BDO Unibank at 164th, Philippine Airlines at 186th, Aboitiz Power at 196th and SM Investments Corp. at 206th.

According to Unilab, the ranking, announced globally on Nov. 3, was based on an independent survey of more than 80,000 full-time and part-time employees across the Asia-Pacific region, using data collected from 2024 to 2026.

TIME and Statista initially evaluated more than 7,000 companies before selecting the 500 highest-scoring employers.

The study covered companies employing at least 1,000 people in the Asia-Pacific region and operating in at least two markets.

Employees were asked to rate their willingness to recommend their current or former employers to family and friends on a scale of zero to 10. They also assessed other companies in their respective industries.

Unlike rankings based on revenue, profitability or market capitalization, the TIME-Statista list focused on workplace reputation and employee recommendations.

Founded in 1945 by Jose Y. Campos and Mariano K. Tan as United Drug, a small drugstore in Binondo, Manila, Unilab has grown from a pharmaceutical distributor into one of Southeast Asia’s major pharmaceutical companies.

The company marked its 80th anniversary in 2025.