How many employees work at Canadian National Railway?
Canadian National Railway Co. (CNR) has approximately 23,779 total employees worldwide as of March 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. Canadian National Railway’s total headcount has declined 1.9% from 24,243 employees in 2023 to 23,779 in 2026.
Is Canadian National Railway hiring right now?
Yes, Canadian National Railway is actively hiring. Canadian National Railway had 708 active job postings in 2026, a 3.6% decline from 2025 — see job openings & hiring trends.
About Canadian National Railway’s Workforce
Canadian National Railway Co. (CNR) is a Logistics and Transportation company that employs 23,779 people worldwide as of March 2026. It is the 5th-largest by headcount among its peers. Founded in 1919, the company is headquartered in Montreal, Canada and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Canadian National Railway's workforce has declined 1.9% from 2023 to 2026, down 2.0% year over year in 2026. It fell to a low of 23,779 in 2026 Q1 before recovering. Its workforce is concentrated most in North America (95.0%), followed by Northern Europe (1.0%) and Sub-Saharan Africa (0.9%).
Canadian National Railway's functional groups are Finance and Operations (46.4%), Engineering (29.2%), and Sales and Marketing (24.5%). The average salary is $81,121, ranging from a median of $77,000 in North America to $9,000 in Sub-Saharan Africa, down 0.7% year over year in 2026.
Canadian National Railway's active job postings fell 3.6% in 2026 to 708, with new postings per month cooling from 1,169 in 2023 to 690 in 2026. Overall employee sentiment is negative and declining.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
- Ticker
- Toronto Stock Exchange: CNR
- Headquarters
- Montreal, Canada
- Founded
- 1919
- Industry
- Logistics and Transportation
- Employees
- 23,779
- YoY
- -2.0% (-721)
As of March 2026
Canadian National Railway workforce metrics
Unlock hiring rate, attrition rate, and 12 additional workforce metrics for Canadian National Railway. Compare to peers, export the dataset, and access the full quarterly history.
Unlock MetricsCanadian National Railway Annual Employee Count (2023-2026)
- Canadian National Railway had 23,779 employees in 2026, a 2.0% decline (-721) from 2025.
- Canadian National Railway had 23,877 employees in 2025, a 2.1% decline (-648) from 2024.
- Canadian National Railway had 24,525 employees in 2024, a 0% no change (+287) from 2023.
- Canadian National Railway had 24,238 employees in 2023, a 0.4% increase (+750) from 2022.
Canadian National Railway's total workforce has declined from 24,243 employees in 2023 to 23,779 in 2026. Canadian National Railway's headcount peaked at 24,632 in 2024.
Canadian National Railway Co. quarterly employee count
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 23,779 | -721 | -2.0% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 23,877 | -648 | -2.1% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 24,283 | -292 | -1.2% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 24,627 | -5 | -0.6% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 24,500 | +106 | -0.2% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 24,525 | +287 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 24,575 | +421 | +0.2% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 24,632 | +389 | +0.1% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 24,394 | +547 | +0.2% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 24,238 | +750 | +0.4% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 24,154 | +870 | +0.4% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 24,243 | +856 | +0.2% |
See Canadian National Railway's complete headcount history, including quarterly breakdowns.
Get the DataCanadian National Railway Employee Count by Region (2026)
North America accounts for the largest share of Canadian National Railway's global workforce with approximately 95% of total employees, followed by Northern Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Canadian National Railway employees by region
| Region | Employees | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| North America | 22,408 | 95.0% |
| Northern Europe | 244 | 1.0% |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 218 | 0.9% |
| East Asia | 146 | 0.6% |
| South America | 123 | 0.5% |
| Central America and the Caribbean | 97 | 0.4% |
| South Asia | 73 | 0.3% |
| Eastern Europe | 59 | 0.2% |
| Southeast Asia | 57 | 0.2% |
| Western Europe | 39 | 0.2% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region, and historic geographic shifts.
Unlock Geographic DataCanadian National Railway Employee Count by Department (2026)
Canadian National Railway's employee groups are Finance and Operations (46.4%), Engineering (29.2%), and Sales and Marketing (24.5%).
Canadian National Railway employees by department
| Department | Employees | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Finance and Operations | 10,821 | 46.4% |
| Engineering | 6,815 | 29.2% |
| Sales and Marketing | 5,709 | 24.5% |
Compare Canadian National Railway's department mix to industry peers.
See Full DataCanadian National Railway Employee Salary by Region (2026)
Canadian National Railway's average employee salary is $81,121 globally. Employees in North America receive the highest compensation. Pay is lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa, at a median of $9,000.
Canadian National Railway median employee salary by region (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Western Europe | $77,000 |
| North America | $77,000 |
| Northern Europe | $75,000 |
| Pacific Islands | $65,000 |
| Southern Europe | $44,000 |
| Eastern Europe | $32,000 |
| Arab States | $31,000 |
| East Asia | $26,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $25,000 |
| Southeast Asia | $23,000 |
| North Africa | $19,000 |
| South America | $16,000 |
| South Asia | $12,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $9,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to Canadian National Railway's industry peers.
Unlock Salary DataCanadian National Railway Job Openings and Hiring Trends (2023-2026)
- Canadian National Railway had 708 active job postings in 2026, a 3.6% decline (-159) from 2025.
- Canadian National Railway had 867 active job postings in 2025, a 30.7% increase (+231) from 2024.
- Canadian National Railway had 636 active job postings in 2024, a 26.2% decline (-192) from 2023.
- Canadian National Railway had 828 active job postings in 2023, a 52.2% decline from 2022.
- Hiring velocity in 2026: 690 new roles/month, down from 739 in 2025 and 995 in 2024.
Canadian National Railway's hiring is slowing: active job postings fell 3.6% in 2026 to 708, with new postings per month cooling from 1,169 in 2023 to 690 in 2026.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
Unlock Hiring DataCanadian National Railway Employee Sentiment (2026)
Revelio Labs tracks employee sentiment across Canadian National Railway'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.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Canadian National Railway
- How fast is Canadian National Railway growing?
- In 2026, Canadian National Railway's headcount shrank 2.0% to 23,779 employees, down from 24,500 in 2025.
- See the full headcount history
- Where are Canadian National Railway employees located?
- Most Canadian National Railway employees are based in North America (95.0% of headcount), followed by Northern Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Explore where the workforce is based
- What is the average salary at Canadian National Railway?
- The average employee salary at Canadian National Railway is approximately $81.1k per year.
- Analyze the salary distribution
- How many new job postings does Canadian National Railway open per year?
- In Q1 2026, Canadian National Railway opened 2,069 new job postings. In 2025, Canadian National Railway opened 8,870 new job postings — about 739 per month.
- Track hiring trends by role
- When was Canadian National Railway founded and where is it headquartered?
- Canadian National Railway was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.
- Compare Canadian National Railway to industry peers
Speak with a workforce expert about Canadian National Railway.
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