Business · Companies · 2 hrs ago
BYD says its workforce has grown to more than 1.02 million
BYD says it now employs more than 1.02 million people, according to chairman Wang Chuanfu.
That is more than Toyota, GM, Ford and Tesla employ combined, though the figures cover different businesses.
BYD added about 150,000 workers in 10 months, after reporting roughly 869,600 employees at the end of 2025.
The increase came as its vehicle sales fell 3.9% in the first nine months of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier.
Many BYD employees work beyond carmaking, including in electronics assembly, batteries, chips, motors, energy storage and rail transit.
Wang says the company’s in-house production and research support its growth; up to 120,000 employees work in research and development.
BYD’s total workforce is therefore not directly comparable with carmakers that do not include the same range of businesses.
BYD chairman Wang Chuanfu says the company now has more than 1.02 million employees.
About 960,000 employees work in China and about 60,000 abroad, according to Wang.
The company had about 869,600 employees at the end of 2025, meaning its workforce grew by roughly 150,000 in 10 months.
Wang said up to 120,000 employees are research and development engineers working on areas including batteries, motors, electronic controls and semiconductors.
BYD’s broad workforce includes businesses beyond carmaking, such as electronics assembly, batteries, chips, energy storage and rail transit.
- Who
- BYD, according to chairman Wang Chuanfu.
- What
- Wang says the company’s workforce has grown to more than 1.02 million.
- When
- Wang shared the figures on Wednesday at the China Society of Automotive Engineers’ 33rd annual conference. The sources do not state the date of the conference.
- Where
- The figures were shared at the China Society of Automotive Engineers’ conference; the sources do not state where it was held.
- Why
- Wang credits BYD’s vertical integration, including making batteries, chips and motors in-house, for its scale.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
BYD had about 570,100 employees.
BYD had about 703,500 employees.
BYD had 968,900 employees.
BYD reported about 869,600 employees, a drop of about 99,000 from the previous year.
S&P Global Market Intelligence put BYD’s workforce at 911,900 employees.
Wang said BYD had more than 1.02 million employees at the China Society of Automotive Engineers’ 33rd annual conference.
- Current workforce
- More than 1.02 million employees
- Employees in China
- Roughly 960,000
- Employees abroad
- About 60,000
- Research and development engineers
- Up to 120,000
- Employees at end of 2025
- About 869,600
- Vehicles sold in first nine months of 2026
- 3,131,576, down 3.9% year over year