How many employees work at CERN?
European Organization for Nuclear Research has approximately 4,728 total employees worldwide as of March 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. CERN's total headcount has grown 6.8% from 4,428 employees in 2023 to 4,728 in 2026.
Data source: Revelio LabsCoverage: Global workforce, 2023–2026Published July 2026
Is CERN hiring right now?
Yes, CERN is actively hiring. CERN had 134 active job postings in 2026, a 27.7% decline from 2025 — see job openings & hiring trends.
About CERN's Workforce
European Organization for Nuclear Research is a Research and Development company that employs 4,728 people worldwide as of March 2026. It is the 7th-largest by headcount among its peers. Founded in 1954, the company is headquartered in Geneve, Switzerland.
CERN's workforce has grown 6.8% from 2023 to 2026, though it is down 1.1% year over year in 2026. It fell to a low of 4,195 in 2023 Q4 before recovering. Its workforce is concentrated most in Switzerland (84.3%), followed by France (6.0%) and the United States (1.5%), with France, its fastest-growing location, up 1.6%.
CERN's largest functional groups are Finance and Operations (46.6%), Sales and Marketing (28.4%), and Engineering (25.0%). Median employee tenure is 5.4 years. The average salary is $91,510, ranging from a median of $89,000 in Western Europe to $7,000 in Southern Asia.
CERN's active job postings fell 27.7% in 2026 to 134, with new postings per month climbing from 54 in 2023 to 116 in 2026. Overall employee sentiment is positive and improving.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
As of March 2026
CERN
workforce metrics
Headcount
4.7k
1.1% YoY
Avg. Salary
$91.5k
1.5% YoY
Tenure
5.4yr
0.8yr YoY
Growth Rate
-1.1%
1.1pts YoY
Hiring Rate
Attrition Rate
Unlock hiring rate, attrition rate, and 12 additional workforce metrics for CERN. Compare to peers, export the dataset, and access the full quarterly history.
- CERN had 4,728 employees in 2026, a 1.1% decline (+343) from 2025.
- CERN had 4,576 employees in 2025, a 2.1% decline (+280) from 2024.
- CERN had 4,296 employees in 2024, a 2.0% decline (+101) from 2023.
- CERN had 4,195 employees in 2023, a 1.3% decline (+28) from 2022.
CERN's total workforce has grown from 4,428 employees in 2023 to 4,728 in 2026.
European Organization for Nuclear Research — quarterly employee count (2023–2026)
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 4,728 | +343 | -1.1% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 4,576 | +280 | -2.1% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 4,509 | +201 | -2.1% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 4,775 | +235 | -0.4% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 4,385 | +82 | -2.2% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 4,296 | +101 | -2.0% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 4,308 | +104 | -1.7% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 4,540 | +112 | -1.6% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 4,303 | +85 | -1.6% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 4,195 | +28 | -1.3% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 4,204 | +1 | -1.8% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 4,428 | +35 | -0.9% |
Want to see CERN's complete headcount history back to 2008, including quarterly breakdowns?
Switzerland accounts for the largest share of CERN's global workforce with approximately 84% of total employees, followed by France and the United States. CERN's headcount in France is growing fastest among its major locations, up 1.6% year over year in 2026.
CERN employees by country — 2026
| Country | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | 3,941 | 84.3% | -0.2% |
| France | 279 | 6.0% | +1.6% |
| United States | 69 | 1.5% | -13.8% |
| Italy | 40 | 0.9% | -11.7% |
| United Kingdom | 40 | 0.8% | +1.6% |
| India | 35 | 0.8% | +0.2% |
| Germany | 34 | 0.7% | -10.4% |
| Turkey | 24 | 0.5% | +0.5% |
| Poland | 22 | 0.5% | +0.7% |
| Spain | 15 | 0.3% | -3.2% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region and historic geographic shifts
CERN's largest employee groups are Finance and Operations (46.6%), Sales and Marketing (28.4%), and Engineering (25.0%).
CERN employees by department — 2026
| Department | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and Operations | 2,187 | 46.6% | -0.4% |
| Sales and Marketing | 1,332 | 28.4% | -2.0% |
| Engineering | 1,172 | 25.0% | +0.2% |
Compare CERN's department mix to industry peers.
CERN's average employee salary is $91,510 globally. Employees in Western Europe receive the highest compensation. Pay is lowest in Southern Asia, at a median of $7,000.
CERN median employee salary by region — 2026 (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Western Europe | $89,000 |
| Northern America | $78,000 |
| Northern Europe | $57,000 |
| Eastern Asia | $46,000 |
| Pacific Islands | $43,000 |
| Arab States | $39,000 |
| Southern Europe | $38,000 |
| Eastern Europe | $36,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $24,000 |
| Central and Western Asia | $21,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $19,000 |
| South-Eastern Asia | $12,000 |
| Southern America | $12,000 |
| Northern Africa | $11,000 |
| Southern Asia | $7,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to CERN's industry peers.
- CERN had 134 active job postings in 2026, a 27.7% decline (-19) from 2025.
- CERN had 153 active job postings in 2025, a 61.9% decline (-137) from 2024.
- CERN had 290 active job postings in 2024, a 67.3% increase (+146) from 2023.
- CERN had 144 active job postings in 2023, a 109.7% increase from 2022.
- Hiring velocity in 2026: 116 new roles/month, down from 137 in 2025 and 110 in 2024. New metric
CERN's active job postings fell 27.7% in 2026 to 134, with new postings per month climbing from 54 in 2023 to 116 in 2026.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
Revelio Labs tracks employee sentiment across CERN's workforce based on public professional data. Overall sentiment is positive and has improved year over year in 2026.
Overall
Unlock the full sentiment breakdown by department, tenure, and trend over time.
Similar Research and Development Companies by Employee Count
- How fast is CERN growing?
- In 2026, CERN's headcount shrank 1.1% to 4,728 employees, up from 4,385 in 2025.
- Where are CERN employees located?
- Most CERN employees are based in Switzerland (84.3% of headcount), followed by France and the United States.
- What is the average salary at CERN?
- The average employee salary at CERN is approximately $91.5k per year.
- How many people does CERN hire per year?
- In 2026, CERN opened roughly 1,392 new roles — about 116 per month.
- When was CERN founded and where is it headquartered?
- CERN was founded in 1954 and is headquartered in Geneve, Switzerland.
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