How many employees work at DS Smith?
DS Smith Ltd. has approximately 16,233 total employees worldwide as of March 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. DS Smith's total headcount has declined 5.9% from 17,246 employees in 2023 to 16,233 in 2026.
Data source: Revelio LabsCoverage: Global workforce, 2023–2026Published July 2026
Is DS Smith hiring right now?
Yes, DS Smith is actively hiring. DS Smith had 350 active job postings in 2026, a 6.9% decline from 2025 — see job openings & hiring trends.
About DS Smith's Workforce
DS Smith Ltd. is a Packaging Services company that employs 16,233 people worldwide as of March 2026. It is the 8th-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 5.6% year over year in 2026. It fell to a low of 16,233 in 2026 Q1 before recovering. Its workforce is concentrated most in the United Kingdom (22.5%), followed by France (13.8%) and the United States (8.1%), with Spain, its fastest-growing location.
DS Smith's largest functional groups are Finance and Operations (38.3%), Engineering (33.7%), and Sales and Marketing (28.0%). Median employee tenure is 5.3 years. The average salary is $54,126, ranging from a median of $66,000 in Northern America to $26,000 in Eastern Europe.
DS Smith's active job postings fell 6.9% in 2026 to 350, with new postings per month cooling from 237 in 2023 to 151 in 2026. Overall employee sentiment is neutral but improving.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
As of March 2026
DS Smith
workforce metrics
Headcount
16.2k
5.6% YoY
Avg. Salary
$54.1k
2.9% YoY
Tenure
5.3yr
0.1yr YoY
Growth Rate
-5.6%
5.7pts YoY
Hiring Rate
Attrition Rate
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.
- DS Smith had 16,233 employees in 2026, a 5.6% decline (-927) from 2025.
- DS Smith had 16,358 employees in 2025, a 5.1% decline (-860) from 2024.
- DS Smith had 17,218 employees in 2024, a 0.7% increase (+121) from 2023.
- DS Smith had 17,097 employees in 2023, a 0.3% decline (-45) from 2022.
DS Smith's total workforce has declined from 17,246 employees in 2023 to 16,233 in 2026. DS Smith's headcount peaked at 17,334 in 2024.
DS Smith Ltd. — quarterly employee count (2023–2026)
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 16,233 | -927 | -5.6% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 16,358 | -860 | -5.1% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 16,708 | -519 | -3.1% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 17,112 | -222 | -1.3% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 17,160 | +22 | +0.1% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 17,218 | +121 | +0.7% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 17,227 | +76 | +0.4% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 17,334 | +88 | +0.5% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 17,138 | -18 | -0.1% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 17,097 | -45 | -0.3% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 17,151 | +26 | +0.2% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 17,246 | +46 | +0.3% |
Want to see DS Smith's complete headcount history back to 2008, including quarterly breakdowns?
The United Kingdom accounts for the largest share of DS Smith's global workforce with approximately 23% of total employees, followed by France and the United States. DS Smith's headcount in Spain is growing fastest among its major locations, up 4.0% year over year in 2026.
DS Smith employees by country — 2026
| Country | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 3,616 | 22.5% | -5.7% |
| France | 2,222 | 13.8% | -3.2% |
| United States | 1,302 | 8.1% | -8.8% |
| Spain | 1,277 | 8.0% | +4.0% |
| Italy | 1,102 | 6.9% | -0.4% |
| Germany | 904 | 5.6% | -2.1% |
| Portugal | 561 | 3.5% | -3.3% |
| Poland | 538 | 3.3% | +1.6% |
| Netherlands | 475 | 3.0% | +0.4% |
| Sweden | 463 | 2.9% | -8.5% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region and historic geographic shifts
DS Smith's largest employee groups are Finance and Operations (38.3%), Engineering (33.7%), and Sales and Marketing (28.0%).
DS Smith employees by department — 2026
| Department | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and Operations | 6,067 | 38.3% | -4.0% |
| Engineering | 5,329 | 33.7% | -4.0% |
| Sales and Marketing | 4,434 | 28.0% | -2.6% |
Compare DS Smith's department mix to industry peers.
DS Smith's average employee salary is $54,126 globally. Employees in Northern America receive the highest compensation, with median pay approximately 1.2x the global average. Pay is lowest in Eastern Europe, at a median of $26,000.
DS Smith median employee salary by region — 2026 (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Pacific Islands | $68,000 |
| Northern America | $66,000 |
| Northern Europe | $53,000 |
| Western Europe | $49,000 |
| Arab States | $39,000 |
| Eastern Asia | $36,000 |
| Southern Europe | $30,000 |
| Eastern Europe | $26,000 |
| Central and Western Asia | $21,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $19,000 |
| Southern America | $16,000 |
| Northern Africa | $15,000 |
| South-Eastern Asia | $14,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $10,000 |
| Southern Asia | $7,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to DS Smith's industry peers.
- DS Smith had 350 active job postings in 2026, a 6.9% 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 10.8% increase (+42) from 2023.
- DS Smith had 368 active job postings in 2023, a 15.8% decline from 2022.
- Hiring velocity in 2026: 151 new roles/month, down from 161 in 2025 and 334 in 2024. New metric
DS Smith's hiring is slowing: active job postings fell 6.9% in 2026 to 350, with new postings per month cooling from 237 in 2023 to 151 in 2026.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
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.
Similar Packaging Services Companies by Employee Count
- How fast is DS Smith growing?
- In 2026, DS Smith's headcount shrank 5.6% to 16,233 employees, down from 17,160 in 2025.
- Where are DS Smith employees located?
- Most DS Smith employees are based in the United Kingdom (22.5% of headcount), followed by France and the United States.
- What is the average salary at DS Smith?
- The average employee salary at DS Smith is approximately $54.1k per year.
- How many people does DS Smith hire per year?
- In 2026, DS Smith opened roughly 1,812 new roles — about 151 per month.
- When was DS Smith founded and where is it headquartered?
- DS Smith was founded in 1940 and is headquartered in London, United Kingdom.
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