Several high-tech and life science firms based in North Carolina or who have a large presence here crack the “Best Multinationals” to work for list in Europe. But several of them also dropped somewhat from the 2012 list.

SAS, which is headquartered in Cary, and Quintiles, which has its HQ in Durham, rank fourth and eighth respectively in the latest ranking from Great Place to Work. 

However, the firms each dropped a spot from 2012.

The two companies regularly make similar best place to work programs, and both made the most recent “Best Places to Work in IT” list from Computerworld. 

Microsoft, which maintains a large presence in Charlotte, ranked No. 1 for the third consecutive year.

The other firms with a big N.C. presence:

NetApp is third on the new list, down from second.

EMC is 13th, up from 19th

Cisco slipped to 17th from 14th

Novartis cracked the list at 20th, having failed to make the cut last year.

NovoNordisk, which was 25th last year, isn’t on the latest list.

To be considered for the list, companies must have been recognized in at least three national lists in Europe over the past year, have at least 1,000 employees worldwide, and have a minimum of 40 percent of their total employees working outside the country where the company is headquartered, according to the Great Place to Work website.

The complete report can be read online.