Revealed: the biggest employers in the UK and 24 other countries

Workforce giants, nation by nation

People-packed powerhouses, the leading employers by country are a formidable force, with some boasting jaw-dropping staff numbers that run into the millions.

From the bustling assembly lines of global brands like Volvo and Samsung to the steady pulse of government institutions, these private and public sector titans help shape our world, driving job creation, economic growth, and social development in the process.

Excluding military and defence bodies, read on to discover which organisation has the highest employee headcount in 25 countries around the globe, and find out who the biggest employer in your home nation is. 

All dollar amounts in US dollars.

UAE – Emirates Group: at least 22,000 employees

Emirates Group has 114,610 staff across 85 countries. However, the aviation colossus – which consists of Emirates Airline and aircraft services firm dnata – hasn't divulged how many of its employees are based in its Dubai HQ.

Still, there are at least 22,000 members of cabin crew who work out of the Emirate. Add in the HQ staff and airport ground workers and the total is likely to be considerably higher.

Interestingly, Emirati nationals make up only a tiny proportion of the Emirates Group headcount, with relatively few working in the private sector. In fact, expats constitute over 80% of the UAE population. The airline group is working to boost the number of Emirati workers, while the UAE government has embarked on an Emiratisation drive, which includes retraining schemes and hefty fines for large firms that fail to meet minimum Emirati staffing quotas.

Sweden – Volvo Group: 22,013 employees

The Swedish government delegates much of its public employment to 250 agencies – so when it comes to head counts, the private sector rules the roost in the Nordic country.

The number-one spot is a tight contest between Volvo Group and Volvo Cars, which was spun off the former in 1999 and is now owned by China's Geely Automobile. As of 2022 (the most recent year for which comparable figures are available), Volvo Group had 22,013 staff in Sweden, just ahead of Volvo Cars with 21,371, though it's worth noting the company has since slashed 1,300 jobs.

Other major private sector employers in Sweden include truck and bus manufacturer Scania, comms giant Ericsson, and fast-fashion retailer H&M.

Colombia – Grupo Éxito: 43,134 employees

Colombia is among the OECD countries with the smallest percentage of public sector employees and, as with Sweden, it's a private sector firm that takes the crown for the largest number of personnel.

In Colombia's case, the victor is food retailer Grupo Éxito. In keeping with its name, which translates to 'Success Group', the company has grown fast and now has 522 locations around the country, ranging from hypermarkets and supermarkets to convenience stores. Its workforce totals 43,134, according to the latest data.

Switzerland – Migros Group: 87,000 employees

Migros Group is Switzerland's largest retailer and biggest employer, with 87,175 staff in the country at its last count. However, in 2024 the company announced it would be restructuring, cutting 150 jobs in the process and bringing its estimated workforce down to just over 87,000.

Migros Group is a cooperative with 2.3 million members, around a quarter of the Swiss population, so it's effectively owned by its staff and customers. The organisation's arch-rival, Coop, which is run on similar lines, has more members at 2.5 million though fewer staff, with around 60,000 employees in Switzerland.

Other major employers in the country include the public Federal Administration, which has almost 37,000 personnel, as well as private sector juggernauts UBS, Roche, and Nestlé.

New Zealand – Heath New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora: around 90,000 employees

Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora became the nation's biggest employer when it was launched in 2022 to replace the country's 20 district health boards.

New Zealand's primary public healthcare system now has a workforce of around 90,000 people, spanning nurses and doctors, admin and managerial staff, and more. The figure eclipses the private sector leader, retailer Woolworths New Zealand, which employs 20,000 people across its stores, processing plants, and distribution centres.

Spain – Mercadona: 98,700 employees

Large retailers, including supermarket chains in particular, tend to have monster workforces. As is the case in a number of countries, the biggest employer in Spain is its leader in that sector: Mercadona.

Based on data from the company's website, the supermarket chain has a headcount of 98,700 staff in Spain. According to Spanish newspaper ABC, department store group El Corte Inglés is next, with 81,000 employees, followed by national postal service Correos, with 78,000.

Inditex, the parent company of brands such as Zara and Bershka, employs more than 160,000 people globally, with around a third of the workforce located in Spain

Netherlands – Ahold Delhaize: around 100,000 employees

Ahold Delhaize is the biggest employer in the Netherlands, with around a quarter of its 402,000 global workforce based in the country.

The retail multinational's brands include Bol.com, the Netherlands' top online retailer, and Albert Heijin, its leading supermarket chain. Ahold Delhaize is also the parent of the nation's go-to liquor store chain Gall & Gall, as well as Etos, the largest Dutch health and wellness platform.

Internationally, Ahold Delhaize owns Belgium's largest supermarket chain, a couple of prominent Greek retailers, and several well-known US names, such as Hannaford, Food Lion, and Giant.

Vietnam – Vietnam Electricity: over 100,000 employees

The public sector comes out top in Vietnam. Judging by research carried out by Vietnam Credit in 2021, the national (and sole) public power company has the highest number of employees, currently sitting at more than 100,000.

Hot on its heels is Vinacomin, the state-owned coal and minerals mining firm, which has 94,000 staff on its payroll.

In terms of privately owned companies, South Korea's Samsung has the most employees in Vietnam, which is indicative of the nation's ever-expanding role as a manufacturing hub for foreign tech companies.

Italy – Poste Italiane: almost 120,000 employees

Poste Italiane, Italy's state-controlled postal service provider, has more employees than any other organisation in the country, with just under 120,000 staff.

The private sector leader is Italy's largest bank, Intesa Sanpaolo, which had a headcount of 94,468 in 2023, according to Statista. However, the bank has since announced plans to cut 9,000 jobs by 2028.

Among the other workforce heavyweights is auto manufacturer Stellantis, the parent of Fiat, Lancia, and Maserati (among other car brands) which has around 40,000 staff in Italy, having trimmed 3,000 jobs in recent years.

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South Korea – Samsung Electronic: 120,756 employees

South Korea's family-run conglomerates – or chaebols – are the country's personnel powerhouses. According to The Korea Herald, one-in-10 Korean nationals work for large companies.

Samsung Electronic, which is the biggest South Korean firm by market cap, has the most employees, with 120,756 recorded by the end of 2023. Hyundai Motor Company is next, with a headcount of 73,502, while Kia is third at 33,153. LG Electronics and chipmaker SK Hynix complete the top five.

Austria – Federal Government of Austria: 135,981 employees

The federal government is the single largest employer in Austria. It has a workforce of 135,981, which includes civil servants, teachers, tax inspectors, and more. The regions collectively employ more people though, with 146,695 staff members, while the country's municipalities have a total headcount of 78,865.

According to some sources, the biggest private-sector employer is the construction company Strabag, which employs around 77,300 people.

Singapore – Singapore Public Service: 152,000 employees

The public sector takes the top spot in Singapore. The city-state's Public Service employs about 152,000 public officers who work in 16 ministries and more than 50 statutory boards. The roles are diverse, with general civil servants, teachers, lawyers, and environmental workers all on the payroll.

Private sector companies with the largest workforces include Singapore Airlines and DBS Bank, the country's premier financial services corporation.

Argentina – Federal Government of Argentina: 317,477 employees

Argentina's controversial president Javier Milei has laid off tens of thousands of government workers in a bid to shrink the state. Despite that, the public sector remains the leading employer in the South American nation. 

The federal government is the biggest single employer, with a headcount of 317,477 as of 2023, the year Mileu took office.

Mexico – FEMSA: 321,000 employees

A study published in the journal Science in 2023 revealed that FEMSA is Mexico's biggest employer. The beverage and retail behemoth, which operates the biggest independent Coca-Cola bottling operation in the world and Latin America's largest convenience store chain Oxxo, had 321,000 staff at the last count.

Walmart Mexico is next, with 231,000, followed by staffing goliath Manpower at 203,000. América Móvil, the comms company owned by Mexico's richest person, Carlos Slim, has 181,000 employees, putting it in fourth position.

Chillingly, the country's brutal drug cartels are placed fifth. A shocking 175,000 personnel do their dirty work, with their ranks reportedly growing by the day.

Australia: Government of New South Wales: 360,190 employees

The Government of New South Wales is Australia's largest employer by a long shot. All in all, 360,190 people are on its books, representing close to 10% of the state's workforce, though this number has fallen in recent years due to sweeping job cuts.

They may want to try working for Australia's leading private sector employer, Woolworths Group, which has been expanding its operations. According to its website, the nation's foremost retailer has over 190,000 staff across its numerous supermarkets, Metro Food Stores, and Big W discount department chain.

Canada – Federal Government of Canada: 367,772 employees

The state also reigns supreme in Canada. The nation's federal government has the largest workforce of any organisation, with 367,772 employees in total.

However, the private sector isn't all that far behind. George Weston Ltd, which consists of Canada's largest food and drug retailer, Loblaws Companies, and the Choice Properties Real Estate Investment Trust, has more than 200,000 staff members.

Germany – Federal Government of Germany: 500,000 employees

The majority of Germany's five million civil servants are spread throughout the country's 16 states but, with 500,000 employees, the federal government is the nation's biggest single employer.

As for private sector workforces, Volkswagen leads the way, recording 296,134 personnel in Germany in 2023. However, in 2024 the company announced plans to close multiple plants in the nation.

Brazil – Federal Government of Brazil: 570,000 employees

Likewise, Brazil's federal government has the highest headcount of any organisation in the country, with 570,000 employees according to recent figures.

The private sector leader is multinational food company JBS, which is the largest meat processing enterprise in the world. It added thousands of new jobs in 2023, ending the year with 151,200 employees in Brazil out of a global total of 270,000.

Russia – Russian Railways: 701,200 employees

Russia's state-owned rail company tops the latest Forbes Russia round-up of the country's biggest employers, which was published in December 2023. Russian Railways had 701,200 staff at the last count, though it had over a million back in 2009.

Gazprom, another state-owned company, takes second place, with 492,200 employees. Russia's third biggest employer and largest in the private sector is retailer Magnit. The group, which includes superstores, convenience stores, discounters, and drugstores, was recorded as having 361,000 staff at the end of 2022.

South Africa – Government of South Africa: 1.2 million employees

South Africa's government is its leading employer, with 1.2 million public servants in the country.

Pinning down the largest private sector employer is trickier, as a lot of firms only divulge total global staff numbers. But the contenders include the Bidvest Group, one of the world's leading services, trading, and distribution companies, as well as retailer Pick n Pay and mining firm Sibanye-Stillwater.

France – Ministry of National Education and Youth: over 1.2 million employees

The public sector is also numéro un in France. The country's leading employer is the Ministry of National Education and Youth, which has a workforce of over 1.2 million.

Perhaps a minor player by comparison, France's biggest private sector employer is supermarket chain Carrefour, which has over 80,000 employees nationwide. 

India – Indian Railways: over 1.2 million employees

Often dubbed the "lifeline to the nation", state-owned Indian Railways operates the largest rail network in Asia and has a workforce of over 1.2 million, making it the country's largest employer by a wide margin.

India's private sector king in terms of staff numbers is Tata Consultancy Services, which has almost 602,000 employees nationwide (though this number stood at 615,721 in 2023). Reliance Industries, which is headed by India's richest person, Mukesh Ambani, completes the top three, with 389,414 staff.

Other major private sector employers in the country include IT-related multinationals Infosys and Wipro.

UK – National Health Service (NHS) England: 1.5 million employees

NHS England, the country's universal healthcare system, has long been the leading employer in the UK, not to mention Europe. The vast organisation has 1.5 million staff in total, ranging from nurses and doctors to admin and managerial personnel.

Mirroring a number of other countries, the private sector player with the most staff is another food-focused retailer: Tesco.

However, despite having over 330,000 employees, Tesco still isn't the UK company with the largest global workforce. That accolade goes to food services multinational Compass Group, which has about half a million staff members worldwide.

China – State Grid: over 1.7 million employees

The Chinese government exerts tremendous control over the nation's economy, so it comes as no surprise that the leading employer is a state-owned company. Figures published by Forbes reveal that power utility firm State Grid is the number one, with 1,720,000 employees.

Electric vehicle manufacturer BYD is next with 900,608 which makes it the largest private sector employer in the People's Republic. The company employed a staggering 200,000 extra people in 2024 as China's EV industry went from strength to strength.

USA – Federal Government of the USA: over 3 million employees

The federal government is America's biggest employer, reflecting the size and complexity of the nation. As per official FRED data, there were just over three million people on the federal government payroll in November last year.

The biggest private sector employer in the US is none other than Walmart. The gargantuan retailer has approximately 1.6 million staff in the country – and with 2.1 million personnel globally, it's easily the world's leading private sector employer too.

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