Largest companies by number of employees
Companies with the largest global workforces represent major economic engines, employing millions across diverse industries and geographies. They are primarily traded on exchanges like NYSE, NASDAQ, and Shanghai Stock Exchange, critical platforms for labor-intensive industries. Despite margin pressures, the mega-employer sector, led by retail and manufacturing giants, offers investors exposure to consumer spending trends and operational scale.
Global exchanges are not just platforms for employment titans; they facilitate investment in firms shaping global labor markets. The main advantages of investing in high-employment stocks include:
- Economic footprint: Companies directly influencing 2%+ of national GDPs through wages and supply chains.
- Consumer insight: Frontline workforce providing real-time market intelligence across 100+ countries.
- Scale advantages: Negotiating leverage with suppliers and governments due to massive employment bases.
The retail leader Walmart employs 2.1 million associates globally – more than the population of Slovenia – operating 10,500 stores across 20+ countries. Together with Amazon (1.5 million employees), they anchor the sector, with Walmart’s annual payroll exceeding $100 billion. Investing in mega-employer stocks provides exposure to companies representing 5% of the global non-agricultural workforce.
Leading employers are wage trendsetters. Amazon raised its average starting wage to $18/hour in 2022, while Foxconn employs 1.2 million workers manufacturing 70% of global iPhones. Volkswagen’s 670,000 employees produce 10% of worldwide vehicles. This scale explains why these firms influence 20% of global retail wage patterns. Beyond retail, the sector includes 5 of the world’s 10 largest private employers: Walmart (USA), Amazon (USA), Foxconn (Taiwan), Volkswagen (Germany), and Accenture (Ireland).
Regulated brokerThe following table contains a list of the largest publicly traded companies by employee count, primarily traded on global exchanges (including firms with 500,000+ employees). The list includes only publicly traded companies, and the presented data (price, market cap) are regularly updated to reflect the current market situation.
| Stock | Employees | Price | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Walmart WMT | 2,100,000 | $116.94 | $0.7 | 0.60% |
 Amazon AMZN | 1,578,000 | $244.68 | $6.26 | 2.63% |
| 0 | TWD225.50 | TWD0.0000 | 0.00% | |
Accenture ACN | 784,000 | $275.80 | $4.91 | 1.75% |
 VOLKSWAGEN AG V VOW3.F | 632,552 | €102.30 | €2.65 | 2.53% |
| 607,979 | INR3,189.00 | INR31.00 | 0.98% | |
 Agricultural Bank of China 601288.SS | 454,716 | CNY6.82 | CNY0.07 | 1.01% |
 Target TGT | 440,000 | $104.10 | $0.14 | 0.13% |
 China Mobile 0941.HK | 455,405 | HKD81.10 | HKD2.60 | 3.31% |
 ICBC 1398.HK | 415,159 | HKD6.56 | HKD0.2 | 3.14% |
Teleperformance TEP.PA | 446,052 | €54.82 | €0.62 | 1.14% |
PetroChina 601857.SS | 370,799 | CNY10.83 | CNY0.39 | 3.73% |
Ahold Delhaize AD.AS | 390,000 | €32.40 | €0.52 | 1.58% |
 Sodexo SW.PA | 314,292 | €42.20 | €0.02 | 0.05% |
Starbucks SBUX | 381,000 | $95.72 | $0.61 | 0.63% |
 Jardine Matheson J36.SI | 200,000 | $73.14 | $3.14 | 4.12% |
Sinopec 600028.SS | 355,952 | CNY6.50 | CNY0.13 | 2.04% |
| 900,000 | $29.50 | $0.28 | 0.94% | |
China Construction Bank 601939.SS | 376,847 | CNY8.74 | CNY0.02 | 0.23% |
Toyota TM | 390,024 | $224.12 | $1.50 | 0.66% |
 Berkshire Hathaway BRK-B | 392,400 | $474.67 | $8.80 | 1.82% |
China State Construction Engineering 601668.SS | 361,249 | CNY5.07 | CNY0.05 | 1.00% |
Hitachi 6501.T | 282,743 | ¥5,098.00 | ¥4.00 | 0.08% |
Ping An Insurance 601318.SS | 273,053 | CNY64.68 | CNY0.63 | 0.96% |
TriNet TNET | 335,273 | $60.99 | $1.86 | 2.96% |
| 349,800 | $84.65 | $0.96 | 1.12% | |
 Capgemini CAP.PA | 349,373 | €134.15 | €2.25 | 1.65% |
 Infosys INFY | 331,991 | $18.25 | $0.3 | 1.62% |
Tesco PLC TSCDF | 340,000 | $5.56 | $0.0000 | 0.00% |
 FedEx FDX | 300,000 | $312.42 | $7.95 | 2.61% |
| 372,621 | $107.60 | $0.1 | 0.09% | |
TJX COMPANIES INC. R TJX.MU | 0 | €126.52 | €2.78 | 2.15% |
 NTT Inc. NPPXF | 341,321 | $1.01 | $0.0000 | 0.00% |
Carrefour CA.PA | 324,750 | €13.82 | €0.1 | 0.72% |
Fresenius FRE.DE | 177,356 | €49.53 | €1.46 | 3.04% |
Concentrix CNXC | 450,000 | $41.61 | $1.08 | 2.53% |
 Pepsico PEP | 319,000 | $148.78 | $2.91 | 1.99% |
Siemens SIE.DE | 303,061 | €253.40 | €1.15 | 0.45% |
Bank of China 601988.SS | 312,757 | CNY5.37 | CNY0.04 | 0.75% |
Costco COST | 341,000 | $970.28 | $7.39 | 0.76% |
| 300,000 | $273.94 | $3.97 | 1.43% | |
| 318,153 | $300.31 | $0.73 | 0.24% |
