Who is the World’s Largest Employer?

The world’s largest employer is the United States Department of Defense, which employs 3.2 million people.

The Top 10 largest employers in the world

US Department of Defense: 3.2 million
The U.S. Department of Defense got its name on August 10, 1949, and included three cabinet-level military departments. The Secretary of Defense is the head of the organization and comprises the Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. National Guard, U.S. Coast Guard, United Combatant Commands, Military Service Seals, among several others. The Defense Budget for 2018-19 is $686.1 billion dollas. Given its wide canvas of services related to defense, it requires a 3.2 million person staff to service its responsibility.

People’s Liberation Army, China: 2.3 million
The People’s Liberation Army is the world’s largest standing military with 2.3 million people. Starting with 5,000 soldiers in 1929, the Red Army has progressively expanded since. China is now pursuing a path of rapid modernization of its armed services and has initiated a plan to reduce its personnel by 300,000 progressively. The objective is to maintain a leaner and meaner defense force by bringing down operational costs by reducing staff and increase spending on weapons modernization.

Walmart 2.1 million
Wal-Mart Inc. was started by Sam Walton in 1962 and incorporated on October 31, 1969. In FY 2018, Walmart generated $500.3 billion in revenue and $495.8 in net sales. The company operates in all 50 states in the U.S. and has a presence in 27 countries across various formats. As of 2018, Walmart maintains a total of 4,761 outlets comprising 3,561 Supercenters, 400 Discount stores, and 800 Neighborhood Markets and Small Format stores. The company operates 157 distribution centers in the U.S. and 187 centers overseas, which includes owned and operated, owned and third-party operated, leased and operated, and the third party owned and operated facilities. Walmart has stood out as a major job creator in the U.S., and in the countries, they operate in through all economic cycles and will continue to create and expand on job opportunities in future.

McDonald’s (includes Franchisees): 1.9 million
The McDonald’s company makes it to the list as a collective employer under single brand since it does not directly employ all 1.9 million people. Started in 1940, by 2016, McDonald’s was operating 36,899 restaurants across 120 countries. Of these, 31,230 were franchised, and 5,669 were company operated. In 2016, total revenue between company-owned and franchise operations was $24.62 billion. the majority of staff at various outlets are under 30 years of age and McDonald’s has an extensive program for training its staff.

UK National Health Service (NHS): 1.7 million
The National Health Service (UK), founded in 1948, is the publicly funded healthcare services provider in the UK. The NHS is the largest employer in the county with a vast network of doctors, nurses, other related qualified staff, and managers. As of Dec 2017, NHS had 113,508 doctors, 319,845 nurses, 198,783 other qualified staff, and 32,588 managers, on its payroll.

China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC): 1.6 million
CNPC of China is the world’s third-largest oil company operating oil and natural gas assets in over 30 countries. CNPC has its staff providing services in 50 countries and is the largest employer in China after the People’s Liberation Army.

State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC): 1.5 million
State Grid Corporation of China is the world’s largest electric utility and ranks second after Walmart on the Fortune 500 list of Companies with a turnover of $315 billion in 2017. SGCC services 86% of China, covering 26 provinces, regions, and municipalities. It is China’s third largest employer and seventh on the Global Top 10.

Indian Railways: 1.4 million
Indian Railways is the world’s third-largest rail service provider with a track network of 66,000 km. Its 1.4 million staff service 22,000 passenger and freight trains daily. It is undergoing a process of massive modernization, and its employee’s count is expected to increase in keeping with the expansion.

Indian Armed Forces: 1.3 million
The second largest standing military in the world after China, it also happens to be the fourth most powerful military in the world after the U.S., Russia, and China. Like China, India is undergoing a process of rapid modernization and is likely to reduce its armed forces count, and shift its investment on acquiring technologically advanced military hardware. It remains India’s second largest employer after the Railways.

Hon Hai Precision Industry Company (Foxconn): 1.2 million
Founded in Taiwan in 1974, Foxconn today is the world’s largest electronics contract manufacturer. It has factories across China, Taiwan, and several other countries, and is better known as the manufacturer of Apple’s range of mobile and IT devices. It also manufactures devices for brands like Nokia, Blackberry, Nintendo, Xbox, and PlayStation. Foxconn is Taiwan’s largest employer and ranks 10th on the global list.

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