Shoprite identified as Africa’s largest private employer

Shoprite Holdings has been ranked as the largest private-sector employer in Africa, reporting a permanent workforce of 174,430 employees for the 2026 financial year. The company added 5,491 direct jobs during this period.

South Africa dominates the top ten list of African private employers, accounting for nine of the ten firms. Following Shoprite, the Bidvest Group employs 130,354 staff, while Pick n Pay’s combined operations employ approximately 90,000 people. The mining sector is also a major employer, with Impala Platinum and Sibanye-Stillwater collectively employing 125,734 workers.

Egypt’s Orascom Construction is the only non-South African company in the top ten, ranking fifth with 64,077 staff. The banking sector represents the third-largest employment bloc, led by FirstRand and Standard Bank. Retailers Shoprite, Pick n Pay, Pepkor, and TFG together account for 46% of the total workforce across the ten largest companies.