How many employees work at Kirby?
Kirby Corp. (KEX) has approximately 5,282 total employees worldwide as of March 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. Kirby’s total headcount has declined 1.3% from 5,352 employees in 2023 to 5,282 in 2026.
Is Kirby hiring right now?
Yes, Kirby is actively hiring. Kirby had 172 active job postings in 2026, a 106.3% decline from 2025 — see job openings & hiring trends.
About Kirby’s Workforce
Kirby Corp. (KEX) is an Engineering and Construction Services company that employs 5,282 people worldwide as of March 2026. It is the 7th-largest by headcount among its peers. Founded in 1921, the company is headquartered in Houston, Texas and trades on the New York Stock Exchange.
Kirby's workforce has declined 1.3% from 2023 to 2026, down 1.0% year over year in 2026. Its workforce is concentrated most in North America (87.0%), followed by South America (4.7%) and South Asia (1.5%).
Kirby's functional groups are Finance and Operations (50.0%), Engineering (30.1%), and Sales and Marketing (20.0%). The average salary is $81,377, ranging from a median of $76,000 in North America to $10,000 in Sub-Saharan Africa, up 1.1% year over year in 2026.
Kirby's active job postings fell 106.3% in 2026 to 172, with new postings per month cooling from 176 in 2023 to 84 in 2026. Overall employee sentiment is neutral but improving.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
- Ticker
- New York Stock Exchange: KEX
- Headquarters
- Houston, Texas
- Founded
- 1921
- Industry
- Engineering and Construction Services
- Employees
- 5,282
- YoY
- -1.0% (-70)
As of March 2026
Kirby workforce metrics
Unlock hiring rate, attrition rate, and 12 additional workforce metrics for Kirby. Compare to peers, export the dataset, and access the full quarterly history.
Unlock MetricsKirby Annual Employee Count (2023-2026)
- Kirby had 5,282 employees in 2026, a 1.0% decline (-70) from 2025.
- Kirby had 5,308 employees in 2025, a 0.6% decline (-40) from 2024.
- Kirby had 5,348 employees in 2024, a 0.4% increase (+13) from 2023.
- Kirby had 5,335 employees in 2023, a 1.5% increase (+25) from 2022.
Kirby's total workforce has declined from 5,352 employees in 2023 to 5,282 in 2026. Kirby's headcount peaked at 5,394 in 2025.
Kirby Corp. quarterly employee count
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 5,282 | -70 | -1.0% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 5,308 | -40 | -0.6% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 5,349 | +19 | -0.6% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 5,394 | +76 | +0.1% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 5,352 | +25 | +0.4% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 5,348 | +13 | +0.4% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 5,330 | +0 | +0.9% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 5,318 | -34 | +0.6% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 5,327 | -3 | +0.9% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 5,335 | +25 | +1.5% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 5,330 | +31 | +1.7% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 5,352 | +23 | +1.4% |
See Kirby's complete headcount history, including quarterly breakdowns.
Get the DataKirby Employee Count by Region (2026)
North America accounts for the largest share of Kirby's global workforce with approximately 87% of total employees, followed by South America and South Asia.
Kirby employees by region
| Region | Employees | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| North America | 4,549 | 87.0% |
| South America | 244 | 4.7% |
| South Asia | 76 | 1.5% |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 76 | 1.4% |
| Western Europe | 68 | 1.3% |
| Southern Europe | 64 | 1.2% |
| Arab States | 55 | 1.0% |
| Northern Europe | 45 | 0.9% |
| Central America and the Caribbean | 14 | 0.3% |
| North Africa | 11 | 0.2% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region, and historic geographic shifts.
Unlock Geographic DataKirby Employee Count by Department (2026)
Kirby's employee groups are Finance and Operations (50.0%), Engineering (30.1%), and Sales and Marketing (20.0%).
Kirby employees by department
| Department | Employees | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Finance and Operations | 2,602 | 50.0% |
| Engineering | 1,566 | 30.1% |
| Sales and Marketing | 1,040 | 20.0% |
Compare Kirby's department mix to industry peers.
See Full DataKirby Employee Salary by Region (2026)
Kirby's average employee salary is $81,377 globally. Employees in North America receive the highest compensation. Pay is lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa, at a median of $10,000.
Kirby median employee salary by region (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| North America | $76,000 |
| Northern Europe | $59,000 |
| Western Europe | $58,000 |
| Pacific Islands | $43,000 |
| Arab States | $31,000 |
| Southern Europe | $28,000 |
| Central and Western Asia | $24,000 |
| Eastern Europe | $24,000 |
| South America | $17,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $15,000 |
| North Africa | $14,000 |
| South Asia | $10,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $10,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to Kirby's industry peers.
Unlock Salary DataKirby Job Openings and Hiring Trends (2023-2026)
- Kirby had 172 active job postings in 2026, a 106.3% decline (+46) from 2025.
- Kirby had 126 active job postings in 2025, a 118.0% decline (-363) from 2024.
- Kirby had 489 active job postings in 2024, a 73.9% increase (+264) from 2023.
- Kirby had 225 active job postings in 2023, a 38.1% decline from 2022.
- Hiring velocity in 2026: 84 new roles/month, down from 96 in 2025 and 140 in 2024.
Kirby's hiring is slowing: active job postings fell 106.3% in 2026 to 172, with new postings per month cooling from 176 in 2023 to 84 in 2026.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
Unlock Hiring DataKirby Employee Sentiment (2026)
Revelio Labs tracks employee sentiment across Kirby'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.
Unlock SentimentSimilar Companies
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Frequently Asked Questions About Kirby
- How fast is Kirby growing?
- In 2026, Kirby's headcount shrank 1.0% to 5,282 employees, down from 5,352 in 2025.
- See the full headcount history
- Where are Kirby employees located?
- Most Kirby employees are based in North America (87.0% of headcount), followed by South America and South Asia.
- Explore where the workforce is based
- What is the average salary at Kirby?
- The average employee salary at Kirby is approximately $81.4k per year.
- Analyze the salary distribution
- How many new job postings does Kirby open per year?
- In Q1 2026, Kirby opened 253 new job postings. In 2025, Kirby opened 1,150 new job postings — about 96 per month.
- Track hiring trends by role
- When was Kirby founded and where is it headquartered?
- Kirby was founded in 1921 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
- Compare Kirby to industry peers
Speak with a workforce expert about Kirby.
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