If you’re one of the 23,000 employees at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, you can now say you work for the country’s Best Large Employer.
That’s according to Forbes, whose 2021 list of top employers is out, with UAB at the very top.
“The University of Alabama at Birmingham is no ordinary institute of higher education,” the magazine says. “Not only are its 23,000 employees responsible for the education and well-being of more than 22,000 students, but many have also been tasked with caring for thousands of pandemic-stricken patients.”
UAB is the only Alabama-based employer on the list of large companies (with more than 5,000 employees), although Southern Company, which is based in Atlanta but has executive offices in Birmingham, comes in at 91st.
On the midsize companies list, which ranks companies with 1,000-5,000 employees, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Alabama comes in 32nd.
Forbes partners with the market research company Statista to come up with the lists, which rank companies liked best by their employees.
Dr. Ray Watts, president of UAB, praised his employees in the Forbes’ story.
“We’ve had almost up to 300 COVID patients at a time with 30% in ICU,” he said. “They have done it without complaint. The resilience of our employees during these times of greater stress has been remarkable.”
