How many employees work at DS Smith?
DS Smith Ltd. has approximately 26,025 total employees worldwide as of March 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. DS Smith’s total headcount has declined 5.9% from 27,653 employees in 2023 to 26,025 in 2026.
Is DS Smith hiring right now?
Yes, DS Smith is actively hiring. DS Smith had 350 active job postings in 2026, a 7.2% decline from 2025 — see job openings & hiring trends.
About DS Smith’s Workforce
DS Smith Ltd. is a Packaging Services company that employs 26,025 people worldwide as of March 2026. It is the 3rd-largest by headcount among its peers. Founded in 1940, the company is headquartered in London, United Kingdom.
DS Smith's workforce has declined 5.9% from 2023 to 2026, down 2.3% year over year in 2026. It fell to a low of 26,025 in 2026 Q1 before recovering. Its workforce is concentrated most in Northern Europe (30.2%), followed by Western Europe (27.8%) and Southern Europe (24.0%).
DS Smith's functional groups are Finance and Operations (39.2%), Engineering (32.5%), and Sales and Marketing (28.4%). The average salary is $54,446, ranging from a median of $70,000 in North America to $26,000 in Eastern Europe, down 2.6% year over year in 2026.
DS Smith's active job postings fell 7.2% in 2026 to 350, with new postings per month cooling from 242 in 2023 to 151 in 2026. Overall employee sentiment is neutral but improving.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
- Headquarters
- London, United Kingdom
- Founded
- 1940
- Industry
- Packaging Services
- Employees
- 26,025
- YoY
- -2.3% (-1,469)
As of March 2026
DS Smith workforce metrics
Unlock hiring rate, attrition rate, and 12 additional workforce metrics for DS Smith. Compare to peers, export the dataset, and access the full quarterly history.
Unlock MetricsDS Smith Annual Employee Count (2023-2026)
- DS Smith had 26,025 employees in 2026, a 2.3% decline (-1,469) from 2025.
- DS Smith had 26,201 employees in 2025, a 2.0% decline (-1,409) from 2024.
- DS Smith had 27,610 employees in 2024, a 0.4% increase (+300) from 2023.
- DS Smith had 27,310 employees in 2023, a 0.1% decline (-36) from 2022.
DS Smith's total workforce has declined from 27,653 employees in 2023 to 26,025 in 2026. DS Smith's headcount peaked at 27,832 in 2024.
DS Smith Ltd. quarterly employee count
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 26,025 | -1,469 | -2.3% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 26,201 | -1,409 | -2.0% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 26,778 | -811 | -0.9% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 27,456 | -376 | -0.4% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 27,494 | +90 | +0.2% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 27,610 | +300 | +0.4% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 27,589 | +178 | +0.2% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 27,832 | +179 | +0.6% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 27,404 | +69 | +0.1% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 27,310 | -36 | -0.1% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 27,411 | +90 | +0.1% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 27,653 | +138 | -0.1% |
See DS Smith's complete headcount history, including quarterly breakdowns.
Get the DataDS Smith Employee Count by Region (2026)
Northern Europe accounts for the largest share of DS Smith's global workforce with approximately 30% of total employees, followed by Western Europe and Southern Europe.
DS Smith employees by region
| Region | Employees | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Europe | 7,752 | 30.2% |
| Western Europe | 7,145 | 27.8% |
| Southern Europe | 6,176 | 24.0% |
| Eastern Europe | 2,506 | 9.7% |
| North America | 1,246 | 4.8% |
| South Asia | 274 | 1.1% |
| Central and Western Asia | 144 | 0.6% |
| East Asia | 80 | 0.3% |
| Pacific Islands | 77 | 0.3% |
| South America | 75 | 0.3% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region, and historic geographic shifts.
Unlock Geographic DataDS Smith Employee Count by Department (2026)
DS Smith's employee groups are Finance and Operations (39.2%), Engineering (32.5%), and Sales and Marketing (28.4%).
DS Smith employees by department
| Department | Employees | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Finance and Operations | 10,134 | 39.2% |
| Engineering | 8,401 | 32.5% |
| Sales and Marketing | 7,342 | 28.4% |
Compare DS Smith's department mix to industry peers.
See Full DataDS Smith Employee Salary by Region (2026)
DS Smith's average employee salary is $54,446 globally. Employees in North America receive the highest compensation, with median pay approximately 1.3x the global average. Pay is lowest in Eastern Europe, at a median of $26,000.
DS Smith median employee salary by region (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| North America | $70,000 |
| Pacific Islands | $66,000 |
| Northern Europe | $54,000 |
| Western Europe | $52,000 |
| Arab States | $40,000 |
| Southern Europe | $31,000 |
| Eastern Europe | $26,000 |
| East Asia | $24,000 |
| Central and Western Asia | $20,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $19,000 |
| South America | $18,000 |
| Southeast Asia | $17,000 |
| North Africa | $15,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $10,000 |
| South Asia | $7,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to DS Smith's industry peers.
Unlock Salary DataDS Smith Job Openings and Hiring Trends (2023-2026)
- DS Smith had 350 active job postings in 2026, a 7.2% decline (+60) from 2025.
- DS Smith had 290 active job postings in 2025, a 34.3% decline (-120) from 2024.
- DS Smith had 410 active job postings in 2024, a 10.3% increase (+40) from 2023.
- DS Smith had 370 active job postings in 2023, a 16.4% decline from 2022.
- Hiring velocity in 2026: 151 new roles/month, down from 163 in 2025 and 336 in 2024.
DS Smith's hiring is slowing: active job postings fell 7.2% in 2026 to 350, with new postings per month cooling from 242 in 2023 to 151 in 2026.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
Unlock Hiring DataDS Smith Employee Sentiment (2026)
Revelio Labs tracks employee sentiment across DS Smith'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.
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Frequently Asked Questions About DS Smith
- How fast is DS Smith growing?
- In 2026, DS Smith's headcount shrank 2.3% to 26,025 employees, down from 27,494 in 2025.
- See the full headcount history
- Where are DS Smith employees located?
- Most DS Smith employees are based in Northern Europe (30.2% of headcount), followed by Western Europe and Southern Europe.
- Explore where the workforce is based
- What is the average salary at DS Smith?
- The average employee salary at DS Smith is approximately $54.4k per year.
- Analyze the salary distribution
- How many new job postings does DS Smith open per year?
- In Q1 2026, DS Smith opened 454 new job postings. In 2025, DS Smith opened 1,950 new job postings — about 163 per month.
- Track hiring trends by role
- When was DS Smith founded and where is it headquartered?
- DS Smith was founded in 1940 and is headquartered in London, United Kingdom.
- Compare DS Smith to industry peers
Speak with a workforce expert about DS Smith.
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