How many employees work at Nestle?
Nestlé SA (NESN) has approximately 271,034 total employees worldwide as of March 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. Nestle’s total headcount has declined 1.1% from 274,065 employees in 2023 to 271,034 in 2026.
Is Nestle hiring right now?
Yes, Nestle is actively hiring. Nestle had 4,780 active job postings in 2026, a 18.8% decline from 2025 — see job openings & hiring trends.
About Nestle’s Workforce
Nestlé SA (NESN) is a Food and Beverage company that employs 271,034 people worldwide as of March 2026. It is the 2nd-largest by headcount among its peers. Founded in 1866, the company is headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland and trades on the SIX Swiss Exchange.
Nestle's workforce has declined 1.1% from 2023 to 2026, down 1.1% year over year in 2026. Its workforce is concentrated most in South America (16.8%), followed by South Asia (12.8%) and North America (11.6%).
Nestle's functional groups are Finance and Operations (42.1%), Engineering (35.0%), and Sales and Marketing (22.9%). The average salary is $39,408, ranging from a median of $79,000 in North America to $7,000 in South Asia, down 0.6% year over year in 2026.
Nestle's active job postings fell 18.8% in 2026 to 4,780, with new postings per month cooling from 4,636 in 2023 to 3,234 in 2026. Overall employee sentiment is neutral but declining.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
- Ticker
- SIX Swiss Exchange: NESN
- Headquarters
- Vevey, Switzerland
- Founded
- 1866
- Industry
- Food and Beverage
- Employees
- 271,034
- YoY
- -1.1% (-2,982)
As of March 2026
Nestle workforce metrics
Unlock hiring rate, attrition rate, and 12 additional workforce metrics for Nestle. Compare to peers, export the dataset, and access the full quarterly history.
Unlock MetricsNestle Annual Employee Count (2023-2026)
- Nestle had 271,034 employees in 2026, a 1.1% decline (-2,982) from 2025.
- Nestle had 272,015 employees in 2025, a 0.8% decline (-1,625) from 2024.
- Nestle had 273,640 employees in 2024, a 0.2% decline (+394) from 2023.
- Nestle had 273,246 employees in 2023, a 0.1% increase (+1,550) from 2022.
Nestle's total workforce has declined from 274,065 employees in 2023 to 271,034 in 2026. Nestle's headcount peaked at 275,445 in 2025.
Nestlé SA quarterly employee count
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 271,034 | -2,982 | -1.1% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 272,015 | -1,625 | -0.8% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 273,647 | -606 | -0.5% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 275,445 | +69 | -0.4% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 274,016 | +397 | -0.3% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 273,640 | +394 | -0.2% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 274,253 | +845 | -0.2% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 275,376 | +1,311 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 273,619 | +1,616 | +0.1% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 273,246 | +1,550 | +0.1% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 273,408 | +2,347 | +0.3% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 274,065 | +2,926 | +0.6% |
See Nestle's complete headcount history, including quarterly breakdowns.
Get the DataNestle Employee Count by Region (2026)
South America accounts for the largest share of Nestle's global workforce with approximately 17% of total employees, followed by South Asia and North America.
Nestle employees by region
| Region | Employees | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| South America | 45,044 | 16.8% |
| South Asia | 34,309 | 12.8% |
| North America | 31,114 | 11.6% |
| Western Europe | 26,066 | 9.7% |
| Southeast Asia | 22,851 | 8.5% |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 19,720 | 7.4% |
| Southern Europe | 15,345 | 5.7% |
| Central America and the Caribbean | 14,414 | 5.4% |
| East Asia | 14,059 | 5.2% |
| Eastern Europe | 10,414 | 3.9% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region, and historic geographic shifts.
Unlock Geographic DataNestle Employee Count by Department (2026)
Nestle's employee groups are Finance and Operations (42.1%), Engineering (35.0%), and Sales and Marketing (22.9%).
Nestle employees by department
| Department | Employees | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Finance and Operations | 111,559 | 42.1% |
| Engineering | 92,678 | 35.0% |
| Sales and Marketing | 60,709 | 22.9% |
Compare Nestle's department mix to industry peers.
See Full DataNestle Employee Salary by Region (2026)
Nestle's average employee salary is $39,408 globally. Employees in North America receive the highest compensation, with median pay approximately 2.0x the global average. Pay is lowest in South Asia, at a median of $7,000.
Nestle median employee salary by region (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| North America | $79,000 |
| Western Europe | $68,000 |
| Pacific Islands | $60,000 |
| Northern Europe | $59,000 |
| East Asia | $37,000 |
| Southern Europe | $37,000 |
| Arab States | $35,000 |
| Eastern Europe | $27,000 |
| Central and Western Asia | $22,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $19,000 |
| Southeast Asia | $14,000 |
| South America | $10,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $10,000 |
| North Africa | $9,000 |
| South Asia | $7,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to Nestle's industry peers.
Unlock Salary DataNestle Job Openings and Hiring Trends (2023-2026)
- Nestle had 4,780 active job postings in 2026, a 18.8% decline (+296) from 2025.
- Nestle had 4,484 active job postings in 2025, a 6.9% decline (-322) from 2024.
- Nestle had 4,806 active job postings in 2024, a 5.8% increase (+271) from 2023.
- Nestle had 4,535 active job postings in 2023, a 5.8% increase from 2022.
- Hiring velocity in 2026: 3,234 new roles/month, down from 4,249 in 2025 and 4,414 in 2024.
Nestle's hiring is slowing: active job postings fell 18.8% in 2026 to 4,780, with new postings per month cooling from 4,636 in 2023 to 3,234 in 2026.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
Unlock Hiring DataNestle Employee Sentiment (2026)
Revelio Labs tracks employee sentiment across Nestle's workforce based on public professional data. Overall sentiment is neutral 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 Nestle
- How fast is Nestle growing?
- In 2026, Nestle's headcount shrank 1.1% to 271,034 employees, down from 274,016 in 2025.
- See the full headcount history
- Where are Nestle employees located?
- Most Nestle employees are based in South America (16.8% of headcount), followed by South Asia and North America.
- Explore where the workforce is based
- What is the average salary at Nestle?
- The average employee salary at Nestle is approximately $39.4k per year.
- Analyze the salary distribution
- How many new job postings does Nestle open per year?
- In Q1 2026, Nestle opened 9,703 new job postings. In 2025, Nestle opened 50,986 new job postings — about 4,249 per month.
- Track hiring trends by role
- When was Nestle founded and where is it headquartered?
- Nestle was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland.
- Compare Nestle to industry peers
Speak with a workforce expert about Nestle.
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