- Hapag-Lloyd makes over £1 million per employee
- Shell is in second with £365,041 per employee
- Other energy giants, BP and ENI come in third and fourth
The Most Successful EU Companies
Research in partnership with global fintech group Plus500 compared the top 100 companies in Europe (by market cap), looking at profit in 2022 and dividing by the number of employees that work within the company. This gave the amount of profit that the company makes per every employee that works there.
1. Hapag-Lloyd – Germany
Hapag Lloyd is a German international shipping and container transportation company. With over 250 vessels Hapag Lloyd employs 12,499 land staff and 1,609 sea staff. In 2022 Hapag Lloyd recorded profits of over £14 billion – a very strong financial performance, and almost £6 billion more than 2021. This means that the company earned £1,058,898.94 per employee, which is almost triple that of Shell in second place.
Profit per employee: £1,058,898
2. Shell
Shell PLC (LON:SHEL) is a British multinational oil and gas company. Shell doubled its 2021 profits making £31 billion in 2022 and has over 86,000 employees worldwide, which means per employee the company makes £365,041 of profit per employee.
Profit per employee: £365,041
3. BP
In third is another British multinational oil and gas company. Profiting £22 billion in 2022, much like Shell, BP‘s (NYSE:BP) profits also doubled from 2021. BP does have slightly fewer employees than Shell with 67,000 worldwide. This means per each employee BP made £325,081.
Profit per employee: £325,081
4. ENI
In fourth is another multinational energy corporation, and another one of the seven ‘supermajor’ oil companies, this time originating in Italy. Eni SpA (BIT:ENI) profited £10 billion in 2022 with only about 32,000 employees globally. This equates to £324,293 per employee.
Profit per employee: £324,293
5. Rio Tinto
Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX:RIO) is an Anglo-Australian company that is the world’s second-largest metals and mining corporation. In 2022 profit was around £16 billion which was down from 2021’s figures of around £22 billion. This means that in 2022 each of Rio Tinto’s 53,000 employees made £299,581 profit.
Profit per employee: £299,581
6. Maersk
Maersk is a Danish shipping and logistics company founded in 1904, business activities include shipping, port operation, supply chain management and warehousing. Due to its vast range of operations, Maersk has a larger workforce with over 100,000 people. However, with profits of £24 billion in 2022, this equates to £233,163 per employee.
Profit per employee: £233,162
7. Ferrari
Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari, Ferrari NV (BIT:RACE) has been a leader in luxury sports and supercar manufacturing since its inception. However, almost half of the company’s revenue actually comes from merchandise and not cars. Despite profiting only £1 billion in 2022, Ferrari made £227,364 per employee due to the company only employing just over 4,500 people.
Profit per employee: £227,364
8. Orsted
Orsted A/S (CPH:ORSTED) is the second Danish company in this list, and the fourth energy company. However, Orsted’s main production is renewable energy sources rather than oil and gas. The company’s philosophy lies in transforming the energy industry to fight climate change. Much like Ferrari, Orsted has a very small workforce of only 8,000 employees, and with a profit of £1.7 billion that is equal to £216,150 of profit per employee.
Profit per employee: £216,150
9. Hermes
Hermes International SCA (EPA:RMS) is a French luxury design house established in 1837. It specializes in leather goods, lifestyle accessories, home furnishings, perfumery, jewellery, and watches. In 2022 the French fashion giants made around £3.8 billion in profit and they only hire around 19,000 employees. This means that Hermes makes £197,722 profit per employee.
Profit per employee: £197,722
10. British American Tobacco
British American Tobacco plc (LON:BATS) is a British multinational company that manufactures and sells cigarettes, tobacco and other nicotine products. In 2022 this company made around £8.2 billion, and with 51,000 employees that equals £162,120 profit per employee.
Profit per employee: £162,120
A spokesperson from Plus500 commented: “Europe boasts some of the biggest and most innovative companies across the globe, companies that have grown exponentially as part of the development of a thriving and diverse economy. Many companies now generate significant revenue. However, having fewer employees doesn’t always equate to more revenue and profit per employee. Undertaking research into profitability per employee metrics is important to consider before taking a position in or trading the stock of these listed European giants. After all, more high-quality employees can often lead to higher output and in turn more customers, better customer retention, enhanced profitability and superior returns.”
| Rank | Company | Market Cap (£) | Share Price | Profit (£) | Number of employees (2022) | Profit per employee (£) |
| 1 | Hapag-Lloyd | 31,350,000,000 | 155.51 | 14,930,475,000 | 14,100 | 1,058,898.94 |
| 2 | Shell | 161,740,000,000 | 2376.00 | 31,393,526,000 | 86,000 | 365,041 |
| 3 | BP | 81,760,000,000 | 478.83 | 21,975,475,600 | 67,600 | 325,081 |
| 4 | ENI | 40,420,000,000 | 24.09 | 10,438,343,084 | 32,188 | 324,293 |
| 5 | Rio Tinto | 77,360,000,000 | 4611.40 | 16,095,288,806 | 53,726 | 299,581 |
| 6 | Maersk | 26,540,000,000 | 1563.84 | 24,248,848,000 | 104,000 | 233,162 |
| 7 | Ferrari | 42,573,000,000 | 244.81 | 1,035,870,384 | 4,556 | 227,364 |
| 8 | Orsted | 175,207,000,000 | 20.20 | 1,735,036,050 | 8,027 | 216,150 |
| 9 | Hermes | 144,993,000,000 | 1606.95 | 3,892,355,292 | 19,686 | 197,722 |
| 10 | British American Tobacco | 56,470,000,000 | 2,519.80 | 8,257,906,440 | 50,937 | 162,120 |
