How many employees work at ICES?
International Council for the Exploration of the Sea has approximately 279 total employees worldwide as of March 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. ICES’s total headcount has grown 7.4% from 259 employees in 2023 to 279 in 2026.
Is ICES hiring right now?
Yes, ICES is actively hiring. ICES had 1 active job postings in 2026, a 0.0% no change from 2025 — see job openings & hiring trends.
About ICES’s Workforce
International Council for the Exploration of the Sea is a Research and Development company that employs 279 people worldwide as of March 2026. It is the 11th-largest by headcount among its peers. Founded in 1905, the company is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark.
ICES's workforce has grown 7.4% from 2023 to 2026, up 1.4% year over year in 2026. It fell to a low of 257 in 2024 Q1 before recovering. Its workforce is concentrated most in Northern Europe (30.2%), followed by North America (19.2%) and Southeast Asia (12.5%).
ICES's functional groups are Finance and Operations (52.8%), Engineering (23.7%), and Sales and Marketing (23.5%), with Sales and Marketing growing fastest (up 7.0%). The average salary is $56,980, ranging from a median of $64,000 in Northern Europe to $28,000 in Central and Western Asia, up 2.0% year over year in 2026.
ICES's hiring activity held steady in 2026. Overall employee sentiment is negative and declining.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
- Headquarters
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Founded
- 1905
- Industry
- Research and Development
- Employees
- 279
- YoY
- +1.4% (+16)
As of March 2026
ICES workforce metrics
Unlock hiring rate, attrition rate, and 12 additional workforce metrics for ICES. Compare to peers, export the dataset, and access the full quarterly history.
Unlock MetricsICES Annual Employee Count (2023-2026)
- ICES had 279 employees in 2026, a 1.4% increase (+16) from 2025.
- ICES had 276 employees in 2025, a 1.0% increase (+17) from 2024.
- ICES had 259 employees in 2024, a 2.1% increase (-2) from 2023.
- ICES had 261 employees in 2023, a 1.8% increase (+1) from 2022.
ICES's total workforce has grown from 259 employees in 2023 to 279 in 2026.
International Council for the Exploration of the Sea quarterly employee count
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 279 | +16 | +1.4% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 276 | +17 | +1.0% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 275 | +16 | +2.1% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 265 | +1 | +0.8% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 263 | +6 | +2.3% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 259 | -2 | +2.1% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 259 | +0 | +2.3% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 264 | +5 | +2.7% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 257 | -2 | +1.4% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 261 | +1 | +1.8% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 259 | +0 | +1.0% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 259 | +0 | +0.9% |
See ICES's complete headcount history, including quarterly breakdowns.
Get the DataICES Employee Count by Region (2026)
Northern Europe accounts for the largest share of ICES's global workforce with approximately 30% of total employees, followed by North America and Southeast Asia.
ICES employees by region
| Region | Employees | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Europe | 83 | 30.2% |
| North America | 52 | 19.2% |
| Southeast Asia | 34 | 12.5% |
| Arab States | 28 | 10.1% |
| Central and Western Asia | 16 | 5.8% |
| Central America and the Caribbean | 13 | 4.7% |
| South America | 9 | 3.4% |
| Western Europe | 9 | 3.3% |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 8 | 2.9% |
| South Asia | 7 | 2.6% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region, and historic geographic shifts.
Unlock Geographic DataICES Employee Count by Department (2026)
ICES's employee groups are Finance and Operations (52.8%), Engineering (23.7%), and Sales and Marketing (23.5%).
ICES employees by department
| Department | Employees | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Finance and Operations | 140 | 52.8% |
| Engineering | 63 | 23.7% |
| Sales and Marketing | 62 | 23.5% |
Compare ICES's department mix to industry peers.
See Full DataICES Employee Salary by Region (2026)
ICES's average employee salary is $56,980 globally. Employees in Northern Europe receive the highest compensation. Pay is lowest in Central and Western Asia, at a median of $28,000.
ICES median employee salary by region (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Northern Europe | $64,000 |
| North America | $59,000 |
| Arab States | $53,000 |
| Southeast Asia | $51,000 |
| Pacific Islands | $45,000 |
| Western Europe | $45,000 |
| Southern Europe | $38,000 |
| Central and Western Asia | $28,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $24,000 |
| South America | $21,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $12,000 |
| South Asia | $11,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to ICES's industry peers.
Unlock Salary DataICES Job Openings and Hiring Trends (2023-2026)
- ICES had 1 active job postings in 2026, a 0% no change (+1) from 2025.
- ICES had 0 active job postings in 2025, a 0% no change from 2024.
- ICES had 0 active job postings in 2024, a 0% no change from 2023.
- ICES had 0 active job postings in 2023, a 200.0% decline from 2022.
- Hiring velocity in 2026: 1 new roles/month, up from 0 in 2025 and 1 in 2024.
ICES's hiring activity held steady in 2026.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
Unlock Hiring DataICES Employee Sentiment (2026)
Revelio Labs tracks employee sentiment across ICES's workforce based on public professional data. Overall sentiment is negative and has declined year over year in 2026.
Overall
Unlock the full sentiment breakdown by department, tenure, and trend over time.
Unlock SentimentSimilar Companies
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Frequently Asked Questions About ICES
- How fast is ICES growing?
- In 2026, ICES's headcount grew 1.4% to 279 employees, up from 263 in 2025.
- See the full headcount history
- Where are ICES employees located?
- Most ICES employees are based in Northern Europe (30.2% of headcount), followed by North America and Southeast Asia.
- Explore where the workforce is based
- What is the average salary at ICES?
- The average employee salary at ICES is approximately $57k per year.
- Analyze the salary distribution
- How many new job postings does ICES open per year?
- In Q1 2026, ICES opened 2 new job postings. In 2025, ICES opened 5 new job postings — about 0 per month.
- Track hiring trends by role
- When was ICES founded and where is it headquartered?
- ICES was founded in 1905 and is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Compare ICES to industry peers
Speak with a workforce expert about ICES.
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