Employees

Total number of employees

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Total number of employees

As of Dec. 31

2020

2021

2022

2023
Merck
Group¹

2023
thereof
Merck KGaA²

Total number of employees

58,127

60,348

64,243

62,908

3,924

Men

33,204

34,274

36,452

35,499

2,387

Women

24,923

26,074

27,791

27,409

1,537

1	Merck also employs people at sites of subsidiaries that are not fully consolidated. For the 2023 reporting year, we have aligned the scope of consolidation also for the employee data in the non-financial reporting with the financial reporting. As of now, the figures relate to all employees who are employed in fully consolidated subsidiaries with personnel.
2	The sharp decline in comparison with the previous year (8,485 employees) is attributable to the fact that in addition to Healthcare KGaA, which was hived off in 2019, the two other business sectors, namely Life Science und Electronics, have now also been transferred to separate legal entities.

Number of employees by hierarchical level

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Number of employees by hierarchical level

As of Dec. 31

2020

2021

2022

2023
Merck
Group¹

2023
thereof
Merck KGaA²

Total employees

58,127

60,348

64,243

62,908

3,924

Senior management (Role 6+)

193

194

191

200

Middle management (Role 4 & 5)

3,637

3,831

4,018

4,139

600

Low management (Role 3)

10,286

10,880

11,877

11,907

1,275

Other employees (below Role 3)

44,011

45,443

48,157

46,662

2,001

% of women (total)

thereof number of women in senior management (Role 6+)

thereof number of women in middle management (Role 4 & 5)

1,284

1,413

1,550

1,622

214

thereof number of women in low management (Role 3)

4,352

4,669

5,123

5,150

475

thereof number of women in “other employees (below Role 3)”

19,245

19,943

21,067

20,579

833

% of men (total)

thereof number of men in senior management (Role 6+)

151

145

140

142

thereof number of men in middle management (Role 4 & 5)

2,353

2,418

2,468

2,517

386

thereof number of men in low management (Role 3)

5,934

6,211

6,754

6,757

800

thereof number of men in “other employees (below Role 3)”

24,766

25,500

27,090

26,083

1,168

by age group
Up to 29 years old (%)

thereof number of employees in senior management (Role 6+)

thereof number of employees in middle management (Role 4 & 5)

thereof number of employees in low management (Role 3)

199

241

263

249

thereof number of employees in “other employees (below Role 3)”

8,365

8,880

9,651

8,484

494

30 to 49 years old (%)

thereof number of employees in senior management (Role 6+)

thereof number of employees in middle management (Role 4 & 5)

2,032

2,172

2,235

2,283

367

thereof number of employees in low management (Role 3)

6,926

7,298

8,007

7,963

805

thereof number of employees in “other employees (below Role 3)”

25,948

26,624

28,124

27,697

894

50 years or older (%)

thereof number of employees in senior management (Role 6+)

125

131

133

135

thereof number of employees in middle management (Role 4 & 5)

1,599

1,651

1,771

1,848

231

thereof number of employees in low management (Role 3)

3,161

3,341

3,607

3,695

431

thereof number of employees in “other employees (below Role 3)”

9,698

9,939

10,382

10,481

613

1	Merck also employs people at sites of subsidiaries that are not fully consolidated. For the 2023 reporting year, we have aligned the scope of consolidation also for the employee data in the non-financial reporting with the financial reporting. As of now, the figures relate to all employees who are employed in fully consolidated subsidiaries with personnel.
2	The sharp decline in comparison with the previous year (8,485 employees) is attributable to the fact that in addition to Healthcare KGaA, which was hived off in 2019, the two other business sectors, namely Life Science und Electronics, have now also been transferred to separate legal entities.

Average number of employees by functional area

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Average number of employees by functional area¹

2020²

2021

2022

2023

Group

57,612

58,731

62,565

63,000

thereof women

24,746

25,295

27,123

27,461

Production

17,624

19,782

22,086

23,827

thereof women

6,043

6,541

7,510

8,429

Logistics/Supply Chain

4,298

4,557

4,850

4,946

thereof women

1,734

1,838

1,928

1,970

Marketing and Sales/Commercials

14,127

14,318

15,095

14,021

thereof women

6,787

6,906

7,349

7,099

Administration

11,342

11,824

11,889

11,924

thereof women

5,499

5,718

5,868

5,891

Research and Development

7,504

7,168

7,335

6,473

thereof women

3,996

3,694

3,740

3,249

Infrastructure and Other

2,717

1,083

1,309

1,810

thereof women

687

598

727

824

1	The average employee headcount is calculated by adding up all employees at the end of each of the last 13 months, and dividing this total by 13.
2	The average employee headcount for fiscal 2020 incorporates the Allergopharma employees on a pro rata basis up until the end of March 2020 due to the divestment of the Allergopharma business as of March 31, 2020.

Number of employees by region

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Number of employees by region
As of Dec. 31	2020	2021	2022	2023 Merck Group	2023 thereof Merck KGaA
Total	58,127	60,348	64,243	62,908	3,924
Europe	26,587	27,217	28,244	28,304	3,924
Women	11,743	12,098	12,620	12,681	1,537
Women (%)	44	44	45	45	39
Number of employees with temporary contracts	1,105	988	882	659	73
% of employees with temporary contracts	4	4	3	2	2
North America	13,312	14,070	15,847	14,718	0
Women	5,527	5,800	6,501	6,113	not applicable
Women (%)	42	41	41	42	not applicable
Number of employees with temporary contracts	139	115	31	20	not applicable
% of employees with temporary contracts	1	1	0	0	not applicable
Asia-Pacific (APAC)	13,518	14,285	15,412	15,259	0
Women	5,425	5,874	6,351	6,357	not applicable
Women (%)	40	41	41	42	not applicable
Number of employees with temporary contracts	3,362	3,660	3,726	3,182	not applicable
% of employees with temporary contracts	25	26	24	21	not applicable
Latin America	3,387	3,529	3,490	3,458	0
Women	1,630	1,721	1,715	1,693	not applicable
Women (%)	48	49	49	49	not applicable
Number of employees with temporary contracts	67	12	8	7	not applicable
% of employees with temporary contracts	2	0	0	0	not applicable
Middle East and Africa (MEA)	1,323	1,247	1,250	1,169	0
Women	598	581	604	565	not applicable
Women (%)	45	47	48	48	not applicable
Number of employees with temporary contracts	420	59	9	9	not applicable
% of employees with temporary contracts	32	5	1	1	not applicable

Employees by business sector

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Employees by business sector
As of Dec. 31	2020	2021	2022	2023
Life Science employees	23,196	25,323	28,013	27,947
thereof women	10,175	11,255	12,473	12,490
thereof women (%)	44	44	45	45
Healthcare employees	17,463	17,269	17,339	17,765
thereof women	8,788	8,717	8,805	8,997
thereof women (%)	50	50	51	51
Electronics employees	7,228	7,432	8,262	8,276
thereof women	1,666	1,704	1,870	2,000
thereof women (%)	23	23	23	24

Employees by contract type

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Employees by contract type
As of Dec. 31	2020	2021	2022	2023
Total employees	58,127	60,348	64,243	62,908
Number of employees with permanent contracts	53,034	55,514	59,587	58,972
% of employees with permanent contracts	91	92	93	94
thereof women	22,500	23,640	25,418	25,388
thereof women (%)	42	43	43	43
Number of employees with temporary contracts	5,093	4,834	4,656	3,936
% of employees with temporary contracts	9	8	7	6
thereof women	2,423	2,434	2,373	2,021
thereof women (%)	48	50	51	51

full-time employees	55,220	57,091	60,127	59,074
% full-time	95	95	94	94
thereof women	22,572	23,585	24,872	24,576
thereof women (%)	41	41	41	42
part-time employees	2,907	3,257	4,116	3,834
% part-time	5	5	6	6
thereof women	2,351	2,489	2,919	2,833
thereof women (%)	81	76	71	74

New employees

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New employees

As of Dec. 31

2020

2021

2022

2023
Merck
Group

2023
thereof
Merck KGaA

Total number of new employee hires

6,669

8,960

10,682

5,490

220

by age group

up to 29 years old

2,889

3,679

4,314

2,156

170

30 to 49 years old

3,347

4,610

5,397

2,944

50 or older

433

671

971

390

by gender

Women

3,016

4,101

4,569

2,493

Men

3,653

4,859

6,113

2,997

131

by region

Europe

2,160

2,567

3,015

2,028

220

North America

1,789

2,855

3,971

1,181

not applicable

Asia-Pacific (APAC)

2,206

2,803

3,071

1,710

not applicable

Latin America

396

579

460

445

not applicable

Middle East and Africa (MEA)

118

156

165

126

not applicable

Rate of new employee hires¹ (%)

by age group²

up to 29 years old

30 to 49 years old

50 or older

by gender²

Women

Men

by region²

Europe

100

North America

not applicable

Asia-Pacific (APAC)

not applicable

Latin America

not applicable

Middle East and Africa (MEA)

not applicable

1	Formula for calculating the rate of new employee hires: Total number of new employee hires divided by number of employees at the end of the fiscal year.
2	Formula for calculating the rate of new employee hires by age/gender/region: New employee hires of the focus group divided by the total number of new employee hires.

Staff turnover

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Staff turnover^{1, 2}

2020³

2021

2022

2023
Merck
Group

2023
thereof
Merck KGaA

Total turnover rate

8.22

10.82

10.16

9.96

3.48

Turnover rate by gender

Men

8.22

10.69

10.40

10.11

3.24

Women

8.22

11.00

9.93

9.76

3.87

Turnover rate by age group

Up to 29 years old

11.30

16.64

15.91

14.39

5.79

30 to 49 years old

7.74

10.05

9.55

9.48

3.41

50 or older

7.52

9.22

8.05

8.49

2.62

Turnover rate by region

Europe

5.64

6.00

5.91

5.52

3.48

North America

9.79

15.44

14.33

15.02

not applicable

Asia-Pacific (APAC)

10.60

14.66

12.84

11.90

not applicable

Latin America

11.40

12.95

13.38

13.19

not applicable

Middle East and Africa (MEA)

11.80

16.57

13.04

15.63

not applicable

Total number of leavers

4,721

6,354

6,358

6,336

152

by gender

Men

2,697

3,575

3,673

3,639

Women

2,024

2,779

2,685

2,697

by age group

Up to 29 years old

974

1,451

1,542

1,358

30 to 49 years old

2,677

3,545

3,569

3,624

50 or older

1,070

1,358

1,247

1,354

by region

Europe

1,490

1,601

1,640

1,560

152

North America

1,281

2,078

2,182

2,305

not applicable

Asia-Pacific (APAC)

1,394

2,015

1,905

1,824

not applicable

Latin America

398

449

467

460

not applicable

Middle East and Africa (MEA)

158

211

164

187

not applicable

1	The table contains unadjusted turnover rates. The rate excludes employees who pause due to parental leave or a long-term illness, as well as employees who are transitioning to the non-working phase of partial retirement.
2	The employee turnover rate is calculated as follows: Total number of leavers from the past 12 months divided by the average employee headcount multiplied by 100.
3	The figures do not reflect the approximately 500 Allergopharma employees, who were not included in the employee turnover rate due to the divestment of the business.

In 2023, the average length of service for employees Group-wide was 9.7 years (2022: 9.2 years), with 15.2 years (2022: 15.4 years) for Merck KGaA employees.

Work-related accidents

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Work-related accidents¹

2020

2021

2022

2023
Merck
Group

2023
thereof
Merck KGaA

Lost Time Injury Rate (LTIR = workplace accidents resulting in missed days of work per one million hours worked)

1.3

1.2

1.3

1.6

by region

Europe

2.4

2.1

1.7

2.2

1.6

North America

0.8

1.2

1.7

1.4

not applicable

Asia-Pacific (APAC)

0.1

0.3

0.1

not applicable

Latin America

0.8

0.4

0.6

not applicable

Middle East and Africa (MEA)

0.4

0.0

1.1

0.4

not applicable

Number of deaths

by region

Europe

North America

not applicable

Asia-Pacific (APAC)

not applicable

Latin America

not applicable

Middle East and Africa (MEA)

not applicable

by gender

Women

Men

1	Including supervised temporary staff

Through the LTIR, we record work-related accidents that involve at least one day of missed work. A work-related accident is an injury that results from the type of work, in the course of doing said work, and that has no internal cause. Work-related accidents are considered relevant if they occur on the premises, on business trips, during goods transport, as a result of external influences (e.g. natural disasters), or due to criminal acts involving personal injury. Commuting accidents and accidents during company sporting activities are not included. First-aid incidents are generally not included in the LTIR since these usually do not result in more than one day of missed work.

We aim to sustainably lower our LTIR to 1.0 by 2025.

The LTIR is the key occupational safety indicator for the Merck Group as a whole. Therefore, we do not publish any other indicators such as workplace accidents, lost days or days of absence. The LTIR is not broken down by gender as this differentiation is not relevant to our strategic planning.

For Merck KGaA (about 6% of the employees of the Merck Group), we only report work-related illnesses if these have been certified as an occupational illness by the employers' liability insurance association. In 2023 period, one case of work-induced illness were verified.

Employees who regularly receive a performance and development evaluation

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Employees who regularly receive a performance and development evaluation¹

2020

2021

2022

2023
Merck
Group

2023
thereof
Merck KGaA

% of employees who receive a performance and development evaluation

100

by gender

Women

100

Men

100

by employee category

Senior management (Role 6+)

100

Middle management (Role 4 & 5)

100

Low management (Role 3)

100

Other employees (below Role 3)

100

1	Employees whose role level had not yet been recorded in our database by December 31 of the reporting year are included under “other employees (below Role 3)”.

Regular feedback and employee performance evaluations are essential to fairly ranking individual performance and to helping all employees follow their own career path at Merck. Our globally uniform Performance Management Process requires annual feedback meetings and performance assessments. Apart from evaluating employee performance, this helps us to identify individual development opportunities.

In Germany, all permanent employees have been participating in the Performance Management Process since 2013. In 2023, a total of 61,863 employees worldwide were involved in the process. The Performance Management Process is coordinated via our online platform HR4You.

Internationality of employees

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Internationality of employees
As of Dec. 31	2020	2021	2022	2023 Merck Group	2023 thereof Merck KGaA
Number of nationalities	141	142	139	141	70
Number of nationalities in management positions (Role 4 or above)	75	79	78	77	30
% of non-Germans in management positions (Role 4 or above)	66	66	66	66	12

Employee age by region

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Employee age by region
2022
As of Dec. 31
Number of employees	Worldwide	North America	Europe	Merck KGaA	Asia-Pacific (APAC)	Latin America	Middle East and Africa (MEA)

Up to 29 years old	9,926	2,753	3,530	1,181	2,999	476	168
thereof women	4,637	1,178	1,655	441	1,441	264	99
30 to 49 years old	38,423	7,811	16,216	4,549	11,174	2,333	890
thereof women	16,909	3,278	7,528	1,664	4,498	1,196	409
50 or older	15,894	5,283	8,498	2,755	1,239	681	192
thereof women	6,245	2,045	3,437	870	412	255	96
Average age	41.6	43.3	43.1	43.1	37.3	41.1	40.3
Total employees	64,243	15,847	28,244	8,485	15,412	3,490	1,250

2023
Up to 29 years old	8,743	2,233	3,294	535	2,634	440	142
thereof women	4,150	995	1,521	213	1,323	224	87
30 to 49 years old	38,006	7,352	16,304	2,085	11,218	2,301	831
thereof women	16,798	3,084	7,565	857	4,562	1,203	384
50 or older	16,159	5,133	8,706	1,304	1,407	717	196
thereof women	6,461	2,034	3,595	467	472	266	94
Average age	41.5	43.5	42.9	43.0	37.4	40.8	40.5
Total employees	62,908	14,718	28,304	3,924	15,259	3,458	1,169

Age of youngest employee

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Age of youngest employee
As of Dec. 31		2020		2021		2022		2023
Age of youngest employee, excluding apprentices		18		18		18		17

Voluntary insurance benefits

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Voluntary insurance benefits (voluntarily introduced and (co-) financed)

As of Dec. 31

2020¹

2021

2022

2023
Merck
Group

2023
thereof
Merck KGaA

% of employees with healthcare benefits²

% of employees with Group accident insurance³

% of employees with life insurance⁴

% of employees with disability insurance (short-term and long-term)⁵

1	The figures exclude Versum Materials and Intermolecular since the integration process was still underway at this point of time.
2	Any spend on voluntarily introduced and (co-) financed healthcare benefits for employees and possibly their dependents. Not taking into consideration any mandatory social security cover (mostly covered by an insurance policy).
3	Any spend on voluntarily introduced and (co-) financed accident insurance that pays a defined amount in case of death or disability caused by a work-related accident (not taking into consideration any mandatory social security cover, e.g. workman's compensation).
4	Any spend on voluntarily introduced and (co-) financed life insurance cover that pays a defined amount of money in case of natural death (not accidental).
5	Any spend on voluntarily introduced and (co-) financed insurance cover that disability pays for salary continuation in case of inability to work caused by an insured incident.

All our employees are where possible covered by either statutory or voluntary accident insurance and health benefits. Employees of Merck KGaA are covered by statutory insurance as stipulated by the regulations in force in Germany.

We offer a company pension in numerous countries along with various programs for supplemental company pensions and survivor's benefits.

The global benefits listed in the table above are designed to provide additional security to our workforce and their families and to improve their quality of life. Benefits represent voluntarily employer-initiated as well as employer-financed assistance to our workforce in addition to the regular compensation package.

Our benefits offer meaningful choices, where possible, to support a diverse workforce and are sensitive to the needs and customs of the employees who use them, regardless of country, age, family status, interests, or values.

Long-term pension obligations and post-employment benefits

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Long-term pension obligations and post-employment benefits
€ million	2020	2021	2022	2023
Present value of all defined benefit obligations as of Dec. 31	6,352	5,995	4,287	4,787
Pension expenses	408	461	460	365

Depending on the legal, economic and fiscal circumstances prevailing in each country, different retirement benefit systems are provided for the employees. Generally, these systems are based on the years of service and salaries of the employees. Pension obligations include both defined benefit and defined contribution plans and comprise both obligations from current pensions and accrued benefits for pensions payable in the future. Further information can be found in the note on Provisions for employee benefits (p. 291-297, No. 33) of our Annual Report 2023.

Flexible working hours in Germany

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Flexible working hours in Germany
As of Dec. 31		2020		2021		2022		2023
% of employees utilizing the “mywork@Merck” working model		48		51		55		58

In coordination with their teams and supervisors, employees taking advantage of “mywork@merck” can choose when and where they work.

Parental leave

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Parental leave¹

As of Dec. 31

2020

2021

2022

2023²

Number of employees with a right to parental leave

351

414

423

127

thereof women (recorded via maternity leave in the respective year)

225

255

287

thereof men (recorded via special paternity leave in the respective year)

126

159

136

Number of employees who took parental leave³

538

617

564

189

thereof women

265

278

237

thereof men

273

339

327

Number of employees on parental leave who worked part time during their leave

104

198

164

thereof women

172

137

thereof men

Number of employees who returned from parental leave³

529

597

581

182

thereof women

252

273

235

thereof men

277

324

346

Return to work rate (%)

98.3

96.8

103.0

96.3

thereof women

95.1

98.2

99.2

101.1

thereof men

101.5

95.6

105.8

91.5

Number of employees still working for Merck one year after their return from parental leave

490

556

548

-⁴

thereof women

220

250

328

-⁴

thereof men

270

306

220

-⁴

Retention rate (%)

92.6

93.1

94.3

-⁴

thereof women

87.3

91.6

139.5

-⁴

thereof men

97.5

94.4

63.5

-⁴

1	Figures pertain only to Merck KGaA (which accounted for around 6% in 2023). Figures are calculated on the basis of the data from one entire year, which also includes those employees who took parental leave during the calendar year but who had not yet returned by Dec. 31.
2	The sharp decline in comparison with the previous years is attributable to the fact that in addition to Healthcare KGaA, which was hived off in 2019, the two other business sectors, namely Life Science und Electronics, have now also been transferred to separate legal entities.
3	Since parental leave can be taken for a period ranging from one month to three years, it is possible for employees to be recorded across a period of up to four calendar years. This explains why the number of employees on parental leave exceeds the number of employees who have a right to it. It also explains why the “Number of employees who returned from parental leave” might exceed the “Number of employees who took parental leave”.
4	Figure will be available on December 31, 2024.

Employees with disabilities

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Employees with disabilities¹ (%)

2020

2021

2022

2023

Employees with disabilities

4.7

4.8

4.9

4.8

1	Only pertains to the joint operation of Merck (which accounted for around 19% of Merck Group employees in 2023, calculations based on the German Social Code IX - SGB IX).

Apprentices in Germany

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Apprentices in Germany
As of Dec. 31	2020	2021	2022	2023
Number of apprentices	607	602	595	619
% of apprentices	4.6	4.1	4.0	4.6

LTIR

The lost time injury rate measures the number of accidents resulting in missed days of work (one or more days) per one million working hours.

TAG overview

Results for

Total number of employees

Number of employees by hierarchical level

Average number of employees by functional area

Number of employees by region

Employees by business sector

Employees by contract type

New employees

Staff turnover

Work-related accidents

Employees who regularly receive a performance and development evaluation

Internationality of employees

Employee age by region

Age of youngest employee

Voluntary insurance benefits

Long-term pension obligations and post-employment benefits

Flexible working hours in Germany

Parental leave

Employees with disabilities

Apprentices in Germany

Employees

TAG overview

Results for

Total number of employees

Number of employees by hierarchical level

Average number of employees by functional area

Number of employees by region

Employees by business sector

Employees by contract type

New employees

Staff turnover

Work-related accidents

Employees who regularly receive a performance and development evaluation

Internationality of employees

Employee age by region

Age of youngest employee

Voluntary insurance benefits

Long-term pension obligations and post-employment benefits

Flexible working hours in Germany

Parental leave

Employees with disabilities

Apprentices in Germany

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