15 Largest Private Employers in The World

The list of 15 largest private employers in the world represents the most successful private companies with the highest number of employees as an indication of business achievements and accomplishments.

If you are one of the hard-working, diligent and ambitious people, then this article stands for an open possibility for family-run business or privately held company to grow profitable and become one with the higher employees’ base.

Diagramming the world’s unemployment rate from 1991 until 2016, The World Bank data had measured the lowest unemployment rate in 2007 of 5.54% while the highest is noted in 1999 of 6.599%. Regarding geographical area with the highest rate of unemployment in 2016, the African continent seems to be dominating according to the World Bank map. On the contrary, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) released a document where the unemployment rate in Qatar is listed as low of 0.4%. In order to avoid the negative predictive values, the global market has created a remarkable growth in job expanding. Thus in the USA, about 209.000 jobs were added only in July, and about 150.000 more need to be added to maintain the expanding balance in the economy.

The crucial strategy of the prosperous and constructive business is a constant growth and development that leads a business to entrepreneurial greatness. The basic rule in a market economy is to hire more in favor of growing business. The companies with the highest number of workforce, especially in the private sector, seem to be in a minority compared to those in public or government-ruled sector. Naturally, state-owned companies are in better financial status than those managed and controlled by individuals. According to the World Economic Forum, the largest employer in the world 2015 was of the state-ruled basis, the US Department of Defense, while the largest employer in the world 2016 was Walmart, of public basis. Walmart also keeps its position as the largest employer in the world in 2017 with 2,300,000 employees, which also makes both Walmart and the US Department of Defense the largest employers in the US. For a deeper insight into the situation in the USA, check our list of 11 Companies With The Most Employees In The US.

With regard to the size and population, the staggering number of 5.4 million employees working in the USA sets this country in the top 5 countries with the largest employers in the world. The following countries are China, with the total number of 4.8 million, then India with 2.7 million employees, the UK hires 1.6 people and Taiwan more than 1.3 million. It was once assumed that the largest employer in the world was Indian Railway, according to its population size. The current statistics on the number of employees are in the favor of the country three times smaller by population, the US. Besides the Indian Railways and Indian Armed Force, that are on the list of highest employee strength companies in India, there are also India Post, TCS, State Bank of India and Infosys ranked on the list of the largest employers in India.

The sources used to form the list of private companies with the greatest number of personnel is the information published at the World Economic Forum, a few lists announced on Forbes related to the private and public companies, and Fortune’s report on 500 biggest employers. During the research, the private companies in Europe and Asia are also examined. Comparing the numbers of employed staff and the type of sector, including available data, we will present the 15 largest private employers in the world.

15. Koch Industries

Headquarters: United States

Number of employees: 100,000

Koch Industries is an American corporation founded 77 years ago, in 1940. It includes various industries such as investment, trade and manufacturing of asphalt, chemicals, commodities, energy, natural gas and other energy derivatives. Along with Cargill, Koch Industries is one of the largest private companies based in the USA. This family-run company employs about 100,000 in the US as well as in numerous subsidiaries all around the world. It is a completely private firm owned by two brothers, Charles and David Koch, and according to their statements, it will never go public.

14. Aldi

Headquarters: Germany

Number of employees: 104,000

This worldwide famous German brand was founded in 1913 and it involves only retail industry. Aldi has been developed as a brand of two supermarket chains and has its stores in 18 countries including Europe, the USA, Australia and Latin America. Products that Aldi delivers are related to the food, beverage, sanitary articles, household goods, etc. Management service is planning to hire 30,000 employees only in the UK by 2020. Thus the current number of 104,000 employees will significantly increase in the favor of job seekers.

13. Wanda Group

Headquarters: China

Number of employees: 130,000

We are continuing our list of largest private employers in the world with Wanda Group that functions as a Chinese conglomerate combining three large corporations, Wanda Cinemas, Hoyts Group and a majority of AMC Theatre shares. Besides entertainment and media, healthcare and high technology, Wanda is the world’s biggest property developer. As for its staff, it is fascinating that the average age is 39 and 50% of them have a master or doctorate degrees.

12. Dell

Headquarters: United States

Number of employees: 140,000

 

Named after its founder, Michael Dell, this corporation is involved in computer hardware and software industries. Along with HP and Lenovo, Dell represents one of the three biggest vendors in the world. In 2016, Dell Corporation united with EMC so that the official name would now be Dell EMC. The most famous subsidiary of Dell is Alienware, worldwide known gaming system. Opposed to the very beginning of Dell when it had only 5,000 employees in 1993, the company currently hires 140,000.

11. Cargill

Headquarters: United States

Number of employees: 150,000

 

Working in 70 countries for over 150 years, this company established a responsible and engaged workforce of 150,000 employees. Cargill provided the ERA (Employee Retirement Account) for suitable and qualified employers in order to provide 2.5-7 percent of annual pay. The revenues and sales of Cargill in 2017 numbered $109.7 billion, while in 2016 this amount was a bit lower, $107.1.

10. Huawei

Headquarters: China

Number of employees: 180,000

 

Recognized as one of the World’s Most Respected 200 Companies in Forbes’ list, Huawei tends to be the leading ICT Company. What distinguishes Huawei Corporation, one of the largest private employers in the world, from other is the ownership which is not only private but also employee-owned. It’s a kind of method where the company allows its workforce to participate in ownership through shares, stocks or interest. Huawei is proud to announce the number of 74,253 shareholding employees.

9. Publix

Headquarters: United States

Number of employees: 193.000

 

As well as Huawei, Publix Super Markets, Inc. also has the employee-owned method within its business. Publix operates only in the USA, and just to be considered as one of the largest employee-owned corporation in the world. Nowadays it has reached the number of 193,000 employees in more than 1000 stores across the US. Publix has a unique ‘Promise’ of an incorrect item in any means, their duty is to charge a lower price for every item you are buying at the moment. It says, “Our Publix Promise guarantees that if during checkout, the scanned price of an item (excluding alcohol and tobacco products) exceeds the shelf price or advertised price, we will give the customer one of that item free.”

8. PricewaterhouseCoopers

Headquarters: United Kingdom

Number of employees: 223.000

 

The eighth on the list of 15 largest private employers in the world belongs to the economy, industries involving assurance, advisory, consulting, legal advisory, management consulting, etc. Concerning the number of employees, from 2010 there has been a dramatic increase beginning with 161,718 employees until 2016 where it was 223,468 employees registered. The PWC establishment described this year as one of the best due to greater gross revenues.

7. Ernst & Young

Headquarters: United States

Number of employees: 231.000

Number 7 on our list of largest private employers in the world is an international company that offers advisory, consulting, financial and legal advisory, Ernst & Young, is ranked as one of the biggest accounting corporations. Due to the expansion of subsidiaries, EY announced the opening of a new location, thus creating 125 new jobs with the support of the national center in Kentucky. Fortune list it as 29th among 100 Best Companies to Work for in 2017.

6. Deloitte

Headquarters: United Kingdom

Number of employees: 244.400

 

Deloitte is a privately-owned and guaranteed-limited company which forms the ‘Big Four’ dealing with accounting issues. Even though headquartered in London, today New York City is a new location. Thanks to emerging, the official name is changed to Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited. With its 244,400 employees, the company is a worldwide brand in over 150 countries. The boosting raise in revenues generated during ten years of committed work, from 2006 until 2016 with the difference of almost 8.5 billion US dollars.

5. Auchan

Headquarters: France

Number of employees: 269.000

The fifth on our list of largest private employers in the world is headquartered in Europe, France. The mechanism for shareholding employees is spreading to almost every bigger corporation and Auchan also adopted it as a business strategy. Only in the previous year, 7.5% of stocks were owned by 265,753 employees in only 9 countries.

4. Albertsons

Headquarters: United States

Number of employees: 273,000

Albertsons Corporation officially employs 273,000 people, but the beginnings of the company were rough and full of obstacles. Joe Albertson, the founder, started a family business with 12,500 US dollars in 1939. Only two years later, sales went over 1 million US dollars. Nowadays, Albertsons is on the fourth place of the most successful private companies.

3. Schwarz Gruppe

Headquarters: Germany

Number of employees: 350.000

 

Next on the list of largest private employers in the world is Schwarz Gruppe is a holder of the well-known brands, Lidl and Kaufland. Privately-run (99.9% shares), Lidl and Kaufland have over 10,000 branches in 26 countries. By the end of 2017, it is expected that Lidl will expand the business in the USA and Serbia, and by 2020 in Russia. A large number of workforce influenced the turnover that grew 7% in its past fiscal year, up to 79.3 billion euros.

 

2. Robert Bosch

Headquarters: Germany

Number of employees: 390.000

 

Next to the top of the list is Robert Bosch Corporation stationed in Germany and spread all over the world. With the original innovations and various patents in automotive and engineering industry, Bosch is a second most successful employer owned by its founder. Bosch corporation puts huge investments in developments and researches. In 2009, they invested more than 3.6 billion and around 3900 patents are declared.

1. Samsung

Headquarters: South Korea

Number of employees: 489,000

Samsung Electronics, or simply Samsung, easily found its path to the top of our list of 15 largest private employers in the world with the amazing 489,000 people involved in the electronic industry. This enormous number of workforce easily released a great number of innovative home appliances, electronic and medical components and equipment, etc. It is the size of five Googles! The army of software engineers, 40,506 of them, is an indication of a progress and development in Samsung which took the world’s 2^nd largest information technology company.