Shoprite tops the list as Africa’s biggest private‑sector employer, reporting a permanent workforce of 174,430 employees in its 2026 financial year and adding 5,491 new jobs during that period.

Bidvest holds second place with 130,354 staff across services, freight and automotive businesses, of which 97,301 are in Southern Africa and 33,053 are international employees.

Pick n Pay employs roughly 90,000 people through its owned and franchise operations, a figure that includes franchise staff unlike Shoprite’s permanent‑only count.

The mining sector is represented by Implats (67,877 employees and contractors) and Sibanye‑Stillwater (57,857 full‑time staff), together accounting for 125,734 workers.

Banking firms FirstRand (51,712 employees) and Standard Bank (50,451 employees) together employ 102,163 people, making banking the third‑largest employment bloc in the ranking.

Retail giants Shoprite, Pick n Pay, Pepkor and TFG together account for 360,453 workers – 46% of the total 782,781 employees across all ten companies.

Egypt’s Orascom Construction is the only non‑South African firm in the top ten, ranking fifth with 64,077 staff, a mix of 25,888 permanent and 38,189 temporary employees.

Overall, nine of the ten companies are headquartered in South Africa, highlighting the concentration of formal private employment in that country’s listed‑company sector.