How many employees work at Shire?
Shire Plc has approximately 5,557 total employees worldwide as of March 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. Shire’s total headcount has declined 4.5% from 5,816 employees in 2023 to 5,557 in 2026.
Is Shire hiring right now?
Yes, Shire is actively hiring. Shire had 1,260 active job postings in 2026, a 8.0% decline from 2025 — see job openings & hiring trends.
About Shire’s Workforce
Shire Plc is a Pharmaceuticals company that employs 5,557 people worldwide as of March 2026. It is the 11th-largest by headcount among its peers. Founded in 1986, the company is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.
Shire's workforce has declined 4.5% from 2023 to 2026, down 1.3% year over year in 2026. It fell to a low of 5,557 in 2026 Q1 before recovering. Its workforce is concentrated most in North America (83.7%), followed by Western Europe (6.5%) and Northern Europe (2.2%).
Shire's functional groups are Finance and Operations (49.1%), Engineering (36.2%), and Sales and Marketing (14.7%). The average salary is $74,882, ranging from a median of $92,000 in Northern Europe to $36,000 in Eastern Europe, up 0.9% year over year in 2026.
Shire's active job postings fell 8.0% in 2026 to 1,260, with new postings per month cooling from 1,200 in 2023 to 702 in 2026. Overall employee sentiment is negative but improving.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
- Headquarters
- Dublin, Ireland
- Founded
- 1986
- Industry
- Pharmaceuticals
- Employees
- 5,557
- YoY
- -1.3% (-157)
As of March 2026
Shire workforce metrics
Unlock hiring rate, attrition rate, and 12 additional workforce metrics for Shire. Compare to peers, export the dataset, and access the full quarterly history.
Unlock MetricsShire Annual Employee Count (2023-2026)
- Shire had 5,557 employees in 2026, a 1.3% decline (-157) from 2025.
- Shire had 5,593 employees in 2025, a 1.8% decline (-185) from 2024.
- Shire had 5,778 employees in 2024, a 0.4% increase (-74) from 2023.
- Shire had 5,852 employees in 2023, a 2.2% increase (+163) from 2022.
Shire's total workforce has declined from 5,816 employees in 2023 to 5,557 in 2026. Shire's headcount peaked at 5,945 in 2024.
Shire Plc quarterly employee count
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 5,557 | -157 | -1.3% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 5,593 | -185 | -1.8% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 5,656 | -289 | -2.6% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 5,702 | -110 | -1.0% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 5,714 | -50 | +0.2% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 5,778 | -74 | +0.4% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 5,945 | +62 | +1.8% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 5,812 | -4 | +1.4% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 5,764 | -1 | +1.1% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 5,852 | +163 | +2.2% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 5,883 | +280 | +3.2% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 5,816 | +248 | +3.4% |
See Shire's complete headcount history, including quarterly breakdowns.
Get the DataShire Employee Count by Region (2026)
North America accounts for the largest share of Shire's global workforce with approximately 84% of total employees, followed by Western Europe and Northern Europe.
Shire employees by region
| Region | Employees | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| North America | 4,619 | 83.7% |
| Western Europe | 358 | 6.5% |
| Northern Europe | 120 | 2.2% |
| Eastern Europe | 69 | 1.2% |
| Southern Europe | 68 | 1.2% |
| East Asia | 61 | 1.1% |
| South America | 56 | 1.0% |
| Southeast Asia | 40 | 0.7% |
| South Asia | 35 | 0.6% |
| Central America and the Caribbean | 28 | 0.5% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region, and historic geographic shifts.
Unlock Geographic DataShire Employee Count by Department (2026)
Shire's employee groups are Finance and Operations (49.1%), Engineering (36.2%), and Sales and Marketing (14.7%).
Shire employees by department
| Department | Employees | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Finance and Operations | 2,719 | 49.1% |
| Engineering | 2,008 | 36.2% |
| Sales and Marketing | 814 | 14.7% |
Compare Shire's department mix to industry peers.
See Full DataShire Employee Salary by Region (2026)
Shire's average employee salary is $74,882 globally. Employees in Northern Europe receive the highest compensation, with median pay approximately 1.2x the global average. Pay is lowest in Eastern Europe, at a median of $36,000.
Shire median employee salary by region (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Pacific Islands | $123,000 |
| Northern Europe | $92,000 |
| Western Europe | $77,000 |
| East Asia | $70,000 |
| Southeast Asia | $65,000 |
| Southern Europe | $57,000 |
| North America | $50,000 |
| Central and Western Asia | $45,000 |
| Eastern Europe | $36,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $34,000 |
| South America | $26,000 |
| Arab States | $22,000 |
| North Africa | $15,000 |
| South Asia | $15,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $12,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to Shire's industry peers.
Unlock Salary DataShire Job Openings and Hiring Trends (2023-2026)
- Shire had 1,260 active job postings in 2026, a 8.0% decline (-31) from 2025.
- Shire had 1,291 active job postings in 2025, a 0.5% increase (+7) from 2024.
- Shire had 1,284 active job postings in 2024, a 3.0% decline (-39) from 2023.
- Shire had 1,323 active job postings in 2023, a 47.1% decline from 2022.
- Hiring velocity in 2026: 702 new roles/month, up from 614 in 2025 and 709 in 2024.
Shire's hiring is slowing: active job postings fell 8.0% in 2026 to 1,260, with new postings per month cooling from 1,200 in 2023 to 702 in 2026.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
Unlock Hiring DataShire Employee Sentiment (2026)
Revelio Labs tracks employee sentiment across Shire's workforce based on public professional data. Overall sentiment is negative 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 Shire
- How fast is Shire growing?
- In 2026, Shire's headcount shrank 1.3% to 5,557 employees, down from 5,714 in 2025.
- See the full headcount history
- Where are Shire employees located?
- Most Shire employees are based in North America (83.7% of headcount), followed by Western Europe and Northern Europe.
- Explore where the workforce is based
- What is the average salary at Shire?
- The average employee salary at Shire is approximately $74.9k per year.
- Analyze the salary distribution
- How many new job postings does Shire open per year?
- In Q1 2026, Shire opened 2,107 new job postings. In 2025, Shire opened 7,372 new job postings — about 614 per month.
- Track hiring trends by role
- When was Shire founded and where is it headquartered?
- Shire was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.
- Compare Shire to industry peers
Speak with a workforce expert about Shire.
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