How many employees work at Canadian National Railway?
Canadian National Railway Co. (CNR) has approximately 19,594 total employees worldwide as of March 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. Canadian National Railway's total headcount has declined 4.3% from 20,471 employees in 2023 to 19,594 in 2026.
Data source: Revelio LabsCoverage: Global workforce, 2023–2026Published July 2026
Is Canadian National Railway hiring right now?
Yes, Canadian National Railway is actively hiring. Canadian National Railway had 718 active job postings in 2026, a 2.3% 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 19,594 people worldwide as of March 2026. It is the 7th-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 4.3% from 2023 to 2026, down 4.7% year over year in 2026. It fell to a low of 19,594 in 2026 Q1 before recovering. Its workforce is concentrated most in Canada (77.4%), followed by the United States (18.5%) and Norway (0.7%), with Norway, its fastest-growing location.
Canadian National Railway's largest functional groups are Finance and Operations (46.0%), Engineering (29.3%), and Sales and Marketing (24.7%). Median employee tenure is 8.1 years. The average salary is $81,277, ranging from a median of $78,000 in Northern Europe to $9,000 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Canadian National Railway's active job postings fell 2.3% in 2026 to 718, with new postings per month cooling from 1,167 in 2023 to 693 in 2026. Overall employee sentiment is negative and declining.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
As of March 2026
Canadian National Railway
workforce metrics
Headcount
19.6k
4.7% YoY
Avg. Salary
$81.3k
1.0% YoY
Tenure
8.1yr
0.1yr YoY
Growth Rate
-4.7%
4.6pts YoY
Hiring Rate
Attrition Rate
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.
- Canadian National Railway had 19,594 employees in 2026, a 4.7% decline (-936) from 2025.
- Canadian National Railway had 19,713 employees in 2025, a 4.2% decline (-854) from 2024.
- Canadian National Railway had 20,567 employees in 2024, a 0.7% increase (+144) from 2023.
- Canadian National Railway had 20,423 employees in 2023, a 2.7% increase (+551) from 2022.
Canadian National Railway's total workforce has declined from 20,471 employees in 2023 to 19,594 in 2026. Canadian National Railway's headcount peaked at 20,733 in 2024.
Canadian National Railway Co. — quarterly employee count (2023–2026)
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 19,594 | -936 | -4.7% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 19,713 | -854 | -4.2% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 20,222 | -449 | -2.2% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 20,633 | -100 | -0.5% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 20,530 | -16 | -0.1% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 20,567 | +144 | +0.7% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 20,671 | +303 | +1.5% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 20,733 | +262 | +1.3% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 20,546 | +387 | +1.9% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 20,423 | +551 | +2.7% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 20,368 | +652 | +3.3% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 20,471 | +673 | +3.3% |
Want to see Canadian National Railway's complete headcount history back to 2008, including quarterly breakdowns?
Canada accounts for the largest share of Canadian National Railway's global workforce with approximately 77% of total employees, followed by the United States and Norway.
Canadian National Railway employees by country — 2026
| Country | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 15,059 | 77.4% | -3.9% |
| United States | 3,607 | 18.5% | -2.9% |
| Norway | 134 | 0.7% | +0.2% |
| China | 121 | 0.6% | -1.4% |
| Ethiopia | 73 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| India | 42 | 0.2% | +0.0% |
| Mexico | 41 | 0.2% | -1.0% |
| United Kingdom | 39 | 0.2% | +0.0% |
| Australia | 23 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| Brazil | 23 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region and historic geographic shifts
Canadian National Railway's largest employee groups are Finance and Operations (46.0%), Engineering (29.3%), and Sales and Marketing (24.7%).
Canadian National Railway employees by department — 2026
| Department | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and Operations | 8,866 | 46.0% | -3.1% |
| Engineering | 5,643 | 29.3% | -3.7% |
| Sales and Marketing | 4,751 | 24.7% | -4.1% |
Compare Canadian National Railway's department mix to industry peers.
Canadian National Railway's average employee salary is $81,277 globally. Employees in Northern Europe 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 — 2026 (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Northern Europe | $78,000 |
| Pacific Islands | $77,000 |
| Western Europe | $77,000 |
| Northern America | $77,000 |
| Southern Europe | $52,000 |
| Arab States | $48,000 |
| Eastern Europe | $32,000 |
| Eastern Asia | $26,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $25,000 |
| South-Eastern Asia | $22,000 |
| Southern Asia | $21,000 |
| Northern Africa | $19,000 |
| Southern America | $18,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $9,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to Canadian National Railway's industry peers.
- Canadian National Railway had 718 active job postings in 2026, a 2.3% decline (-149) from 2025.
- Canadian National Railway had 867 active job postings in 2025, a 30.9% increase (+232) from 2024.
- Canadian National Railway had 635 active job postings in 2024, a 26.3% decline (-192) from 2023.
- Canadian National Railway had 827 active job postings in 2023, a 52.3% decline from 2022.
- Hiring velocity in 2026: 693 new roles/month, down from 739 in 2025 and 994 in 2024. New metric
Canadian National Railway's hiring is slowing: active job postings fell 2.3% in 2026 to 718, with new postings per month cooling from 1,167 in 2023 to 693 in 2026.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
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.
Similar Logistics and Transportation Companies by Employee Count
- How fast is Canadian National Railway growing?
- In 2026, Canadian National Railway's headcount shrank 4.7% to 19,594 employees, down from 20,530 in 2025.
- Where are Canadian National Railway employees located?
- Most Canadian National Railway employees are based in Canada (77.4% of headcount), followed by the United States and Norway.
- What is the average salary at Canadian National Railway?
- The average employee salary at Canadian National Railway is approximately $81.3k per year.
- How many people does Canadian National Railway hire per year?
- In 2026, Canadian National Railway opened roughly 8,316 new roles — about 693 per month.
- When was Canadian National Railway founded and where is it headquartered?
- Canadian National Railway was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.
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