This is a list of largest United Kingdom employers. There are four main kinds of employers,
Partial statistics for public bodies are available from the Office for National Statistics.[1] As of September 2018, public sector employees represent 16.5% of all people in paid work, with the remaining 83.5% employed in the private sector.[2]
| Employer | Est. | Sector | data-sort-type="number" | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Health | 1,400,000 | ||
| 1948 | Health | 160,000 | ||
| Department for Work and Pensions | 2001 | Welfare | 84,550[3] | |
| British Army | 1660 | Military | 109,086[4] | |
| 2005 | Taxation | 76,890 | ||
| 1948 | Healthcare | 72,000 | ||
| 2007 | Law | 68,670 | ||
| 1940 | Military | 65,000 | ||
| 1829 | Police | 50,000 (approx.) | ||
| 2002 | Transport | 42,206 (2020)[5] | ||
| 1918 | Military | 37,200[6] | ||
| 1546 | Military | 36,320[7] | ||
| 1927 | Media | 23,000 | ||
| 1782 | Security, immigration, etc. | 25,850 | ||
| 1999 | Devolved government | 17,000 | ||
| 2002 | Transport | 17,640 | ||
| 1999 | Devolved government | 5,682 | ||
| 1707 | Political representation | 1,475 |
See main article: FTSE 100.
Statistics are available on an ad hoc basis from public company annual reports.[8]
Currently Tesco and Compass Group are the largest plc employers.
Statistics on staff numbers were compiled in the Sunday Times "Top Track 100" of private companies for 2012.[9] The three largest private employers in that list were John Lewis Partnership, Swire Group and Alliance Boots.