How many employees work at Kao?
Kao Corp. (4452) has approximately 31,394 total employees worldwide as of March 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. Kao’s total headcount has declined 4.8% from 32,974 employees in 2023 to 31,394 in 2026.
Is Kao hiring right now?
Yes, Kao is actively hiring. Kao had 267 active job postings in 2026, a 1.5% decline from 2025 — see job openings & hiring trends.
About Kao’s Workforce
Kao Corp. (4452) is a Wellness Products company that employs 31,394 people worldwide as of March 2026. It is the 6th-largest by headcount among its peers. Founded in 1887, the company is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan and trades on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Kao's workforce has declined 4.8% from 2023 to 2026, down 2.3% year over year in 2026. It fell to a low of 31,394 in 2026 Q1 before recovering. Its workforce is concentrated most in Southeast Asia (41.5%), followed by East Asia (19.6%) and North America (11.0%).
Kao's functional groups are Finance and Operations (45.8%), Engineering (29.9%), and Sales and Marketing (24.3%). The average salary is $42,060, ranging from a median of $78,000 in North America to $6,000 in Southeast Asia, up 1.1% year over year in 2026.
Kao's active job postings fell 1.5% in 2026 to 267, with new postings per month climbing from 182 in 2023 to 342 in 2026. Overall employee sentiment is neutral but declining.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
- Ticker
- Tokyo Stock Exchange: 4452
- Headquarters
- Tokyo, Japan
- Founded
- 1887
- Industry
- Wellness Products
- Employees
- 31,394
- YoY
- -2.3% (-1,203)
As of March 2026
Kao workforce metrics
Unlock hiring rate, attrition rate, and 12 additional workforce metrics for Kao. Compare to peers, export the dataset, and access the full quarterly history.
Unlock MetricsKao Annual Employee Count (2023-2026)
- Kao had 31,394 employees in 2026, a 2.3% decline (-1,203) from 2025.
- Kao had 31,683 employees in 2025, a 1.1% decline (-900) from 2024.
- Kao had 32,583 employees in 2024, a 1.0% increase (+168) from 2023.
- Kao had 32,415 employees in 2023, a 0.4% increase (-3) from 2022.
Kao's total workforce has declined from 32,974 employees in 2023 to 31,394 in 2026.
Kao Corp. quarterly employee count
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 31,394 | -1,203 | -2.3% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 31,683 | -900 | -1.1% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 31,967 | -612 | -1.2% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 32,350 | -509 | -1.2% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 32,597 | +148 | +0.6% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 32,583 | +168 | +1.0% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 32,579 | +93 | +1.6% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 32,859 | -115 | +1.4% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 32,449 | -16 | +1.4% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 32,415 | -3 | +0.4% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 32,486 | -322 | -0.6% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 32,974 | +158 | +0.1% |
See Kao's complete headcount history, including quarterly breakdowns.
Get the DataKao Employee Count by Region (2026)
Southeast Asia accounts for the largest share of Kao's global workforce with approximately 42% of total employees, followed by East Asia and North America.
Kao employees by region
| Region | Employees | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Southeast Asia | 12,921 | 41.5% |
| East Asia | 6,100 | 19.6% |
| North America | 3,432 | 11.0% |
| Western Europe | 3,078 | 9.9% |
| Northern Europe | 2,663 | 8.6% |
| Southern Europe | 1,804 | 5.8% |
| Pacific Islands | 523 | 1.7% |
| South Asia | 167 | 0.5% |
| Central America and the Caribbean | 124 | 0.4% |
| South America | 108 | 0.3% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region, and historic geographic shifts.
Unlock Geographic DataKao Employee Count by Department (2026)
Kao's employee groups are Finance and Operations (45.8%), Engineering (29.9%), and Sales and Marketing (24.3%).
Kao employees by department
| Department | Employees | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Finance and Operations | 14,198 | 45.8% |
| Engineering | 9,259 | 29.9% |
| Sales and Marketing | 7,533 | 24.3% |
Compare Kao's department mix to industry peers.
See Full DataKao Employee Salary by Region (2026)
Kao's average employee salary is $42,060 globally. Employees in North America receive the highest compensation, with median pay approximately 1.9x the global average. Pay is lowest in Southeast Asia, at a median of $6,000.
Kao median employee salary by region (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| North America | $78,000 |
| Arab States | $76,000 |
| Pacific Islands | $68,000 |
| Western Europe | $64,000 |
| Northern Europe | $46,000 |
| East Asia | $40,000 |
| Eastern Europe | $32,000 |
| Southern Europe | $30,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $19,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $10,000 |
| South America | $9,000 |
| South Asia | $6,000 |
| Southeast Asia | $6,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to Kao's industry peers.
Unlock Salary DataKao Job Openings and Hiring Trends (2023-2026)
- Kao had 267 active job postings in 2026, a 1.5% decline (+5) from 2025.
- Kao had 262 active job postings in 2025, a 26.5% decline (-80) from 2024.
- Kao had 342 active job postings in 2024, a 47.8% increase (+132) from 2023.
- Kao had 210 active job postings in 2023, a 1.0% increase from 2022.
- Hiring velocity in 2026: 342 new roles/month, down from 368 in 2025 and 173 in 2024.
Kao's active job postings fell 1.5% in 2026 to 267, with new postings per month climbing from 182 in 2023 to 342 in 2026.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
Unlock Hiring DataKao Employee Sentiment (2026)
Revelio Labs tracks employee sentiment across Kao's workforce based on public professional data. Overall sentiment is neutral and has declined 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 Kao
- How fast is Kao growing?
- In 2026, Kao's headcount shrank 2.3% to 31,394 employees, down from 32,597 in 2025.
- See the full headcount history
- Where are Kao employees located?
- Most Kao employees are based in Southeast Asia (41.5% of headcount), followed by East Asia and North America.
- Explore where the workforce is based
- What is the average salary at Kao?
- The average employee salary at Kao is approximately $42.1k per year.
- Analyze the salary distribution
- How many new job postings does Kao open per year?
- In Q1 2026, Kao opened 1,026 new job postings. In 2025, Kao opened 4,411 new job postings — about 368 per month.
- Track hiring trends by role
- When was Kao founded and where is it headquartered?
- Kao was founded in 1887 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.
- Compare Kao to industry peers
Speak with a workforce expert about Kao.
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