Rising oil prices, rapid AI adoption, workforce restructuring and aggressive cost-cutting strategies have pushed global corporate profits to new levels, with energy and technology firms now generating the highest profits per employee worldwide, according to a new industry report released by BestBrokers.
Key Highlights:
- Energy companies generate highest average profit per employee globally
- Technology firms rank second amid AI-driven efficiency growth
- Saudi Aramco earned over $1.22 million profit per employee
- NVIDIA posted $2.85 million profit per worker
- .S. firms dominate global rankings for workforce profitability
- AI, automation and lean workforce models driving corporate earnings growth
The report, which analysed the 200 largest publicly traded companies by market capitalisation, revealed that companies in the energy sector generated the highest average net profit per employee at $387,473 in fiscal year 2025. Technology companies followed closely with an average of $374,755 profit per worker, while pharmaceutical firms ranked third at $225,879 per employee.
Researchers gathered financial data from Companies Market Cap and reviewed official annual reports to calculate revenue and net income generated per employee across major global industries.
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Among the world’s most profitable companies by workforce efficiency, Saudi Aramco topped the energy sector after generating approximately $1.22 million in profit per employee across its 76,000 workforce. Norway’s Equinor followed with more than $1.03 million profit per employee, while U.S.-based ConocoPhillips recorded $806,869 per worker.
In the technology sector, U.S.-based AppLovin emerged as the highest-performing company globally with an astonishing $3.71 million profit per employee generated from a workforce of fewer than 1,000 staff.
American semiconductor giant NVIDIA ranked second overall after posting $2.85 million profit per employee across about 42,000 workers, highlighting the growing profitability of AI-driven technology companies.
South Korean semiconductor manufacturer SK Hynix also recorded strong earnings with $886,032 profit per worker.
The pharmaceutical sector also delivered remarkable profitability figures. Biotechnology company Vertex Pharmaceuticals generated $1.87 million in profit per employee, while Gilead Sciences posted $1.73 million.
Drug manufacturers Eli Lilly and Company and Amgen both exceeded $1.3 million in profit per employee during the period under review.
According to the report, financial services firms generated an average of $218,496 profit per employee, with digital payment giants Visa Inc. and Mastercard leading the sector due to the scalability of electronic payment systems.
Healthcare real estate company Welltower recorded the highest revenue per employee globally at $15.22 million per worker, supported by a relatively small workforce.
Analysts noted that elevated global oil prices over the past two years significantly strengthened earnings for energy producers, while companies in technology and finance aggressively embraced automation, artificial intelligence and lean operating structures to boost profitability.
Lead data analyst at BestBrokers, Alan Goldberg, said the profitability divide between industries could widen further as AI enables technology firms to scale operations without major workforce expansion.
He added that geopolitical tensions and supply constraints in global commodity markets may continue to strengthen energy sector earnings in the coming years.
The report further showed that the 20 most profitable companies analysed generated a combined net income of approximately $628 billion with an average profit of $658,753 per employee.
American corporations accounted for 70 per cent of the top 20 companies, reinforcing the dominance of U.S.-based technology, finance and pharmaceutical firms in global profitability rankings.
