How many employees work at China Southern Airlines?
China Southern Airlines Co. Ltd. (1055) has approximately 176,807 total employees worldwide as of March 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. China Southern Airlines's total headcount has declined 0.8% from 178,288 employees in 2023 to 176,807 in 2026.
Data source: Revelio LabsCoverage: Global workforce, 2023–2026Published July 2026
Is China Southern Airlines hiring right now?
Yes, China Southern Airlines is actively hiring. China Southern Airlines had 28 active job postings in 2026, a 72.7% decline from 2025 — see job openings & hiring trends.
About China Southern Airlines's Workforce
China Southern Airlines Co. Ltd. (1055) is a Commercial Aviation company that employs 176,807 people worldwide as of March 2026. It is the largest by headcount among its peers and is headquartered in Guangzhou, China, with operations centered in Hong Kong Stock Exchange listings since its founding in 2012.
China Southern Airlines's workforce declined 0.8% from 2023 to 2026, and is down 0.2% year over year in 2026. The distribution of employees is concentrated in China at 94.6%, with the United States and Australia each making up 0.5%, and Australia is the fastest-growing location at 3.0%.
China Southern Airlines's largest groups by headcount are Finance and Operations at 41.9%, Sales and Marketing at 32.3%, and Engineering at 25.7%. The average tenure is 8.1 years, and the average salary across the company is $29,217, with regional medians ranging from $66,000 in Northern America to $4,000 in Southern Asia.
China Southern Airlines's hiring activity shows a steep pullback in open roles, with postings down 72.7% in 2026 to 28 postings in the latest quarter; new postings per month have declined from 25 in 2023 to 13 in 2026. The sentiment across employees remains neutral while trending upward. The company sits as the top-ranked by headcount among its 11 peers.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
As of March 2026
China Southern Airlines
workforce metrics
Headcount
176.8k
0.2% YoY
Avg. Salary
$29.2k
0.2% YoY
Tenure
8.1yr
0.0yr YoY
Growth Rate
-0.2%
0.1pts YoY
Hiring Rate
Attrition Rate
Unlock hiring rate, attrition rate, and 12 additional workforce metrics for China Southern Airlines. Compare to peers, export the dataset, and access the full quarterly history.
- China Southern Airlines had 176,807 employees in 2026, a 0.2% decline (-350) from 2025.
- China Southern Airlines had 176,742 employees in 2025, a 0.2% decline (-282) from 2024.
- China Southern Airlines had 177,024 employees in 2024, a 0.1% decline (-215) from 2023.
- China Southern Airlines had 177,239 employees in 2023, a 0.1% increase (+169) from 2022.
China Southern Airlines's total workforce has grown from 176,693 employees in 2023 to 176,807 in 2026. China Southern Airlines's headcount peaked at 178,288 in 2023 before declining in 2023 and recovering through 2024 through 2026.
China Southern Airlines Co. Ltd. — quarterly employee count (2023–2026)
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 176,807 | -350 | -0.2% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 176,742 | -282 | -0.2% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 176,864 | -484 | -0.3% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 177,067 | -857 | -0.5% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 177,157 | -167 | -0.1% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 177,024 | -215 | -0.1% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 177,348 | +655 | +0.4% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 177,924 | -364 | -0.2% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 177,324 | +514 | +0.3% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 177,239 | +169 | +0.1% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 176,693 | -1,003 | -0.6% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 178,288 | -421 | -0.2% |
Want to see China Southern Airlines's complete headcount history back to 2008, including quarterly breakdowns?
China accounts for the largest share of China Southern Airlines's global workforce with approximately 95% of total employees, followed by the United States and Australia. China Southern Airlines's headcount in Australia is growing fastest among its major locations, up 3.0% year over year in 2026.
China Southern Airlines employees by country — 2026
| Country | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 166,776 | 94.6% | -0.1% |
| United States | 868 | 0.5% | +0.0% |
| Australia | 842 | 0.5% | +3.0% |
| Hong Kong | 539 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| Bangladesh | 473 | 0.3% | +2.0% |
| Vietnam | 391 | 0.2% | -5.9% |
| Malaysia | 388 | 0.2% | +0.0% |
| Netherlands | 372 | 0.2% | +2.4% |
| United Kingdom | 360 | 0.2% | +3.2% |
| Taiwan | 341 | 0.2% | +0.0% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region and historic geographic shifts
China Southern Airlines's largest employee groups are Finance and Operations (41.9%), Sales and Marketing (32.3%), and Engineering (25.7%).
China Southern Airlines employees by department — 2026
| Department | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and Operations | 63,586 | 41.9% | -0.1% |
| Sales and Marketing | 49,030 | 32.3% | -0.2% |
| Engineering | 39,031 | 25.7% | +0.0% |
Compare China Southern Airlines's department mix to industry peers.
China Southern Airlines's average employee salary is $29,217 globally. Employees in Northern America receive the highest compensation, with median pay approximately 2.3x the global average. Pay is lowest in Southern Asia, at a median of $4,000.
China Southern Airlines median employee salary by region — 2026 (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Northern America | $66,000 |
| Southern Europe | $64,000 |
| Pacific Islands | $50,000 |
| Western Europe | $46,000 |
| Northern Europe | $42,000 |
| Arab States | $39,000 |
| Eastern Asia | $26,000 |
| Eastern Europe | $22,000 |
| Central and Western Asia | $14,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $13,000 |
| South-Eastern Asia | $9,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $6,000 |
| Southern Asia | $4,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to China Southern Airlines's industry peers.
- China Southern Airlines had 28 active job postings in 2026, a 72.7% decline (-5) from 2025.
- China Southern Airlines had 33 active job postings in 2025, a 31.6% increase (+9) from 2024.
- China Southern Airlines had 24 active job postings in 2024, a 62.9% decline (-22) from 2023.
- China Southern Airlines had 46 active job postings in 2023, a 55.1% decline from 2022.
- Hiring velocity in 2026: 13 new roles/month, down from 23 in 2025 and 21 in 2024. New metric
China Southern Airlines's hiring is slowing: active job postings fell 72.7% in 2026 to 28, with new postings per month cooling from 25 in 2023 to 13 in 2026.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
Revelio Labs tracks employee sentiment across China Southern Airlines's workforce based on public professional data. Overall sentiment is neutral and has improved year over year in 2026.
Overall
Unlock the full sentiment breakdown by department, tenure, and trend over time.
Similar Commercial Aviation Companies by Employee Count
- How fast is China Southern Airlines growing?
- In 2026, China Southern Airlines's headcount shrank 0.2% to 176,807 employees, down from 177,157 in 2025.
- Where are China Southern Airlines employees located?
- Most China Southern Airlines employees are based in China (94.6% of headcount), followed by the United States and Australia.
- What is the average salary at China Southern Airlines?
- The average employee salary at China Southern Airlines is approximately $29.2k per year.
- How many people does China Southern Airlines hire per year?
- In 2026, China Southern Airlines opened roughly 156 new roles — about 13 per month.
- When was China Southern Airlines founded and where is it headquartered?
- China Southern Airlines was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Guangzhou, China.
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