Employee Breakdown and Growth
Departmental composition, headcount distribution, and growth patterns via the Signal Database.
Overview
Employee Breakdown & Growth provides a snapshot of how a company's workforce is distributed across 26 departments—and how that composition is changing over time.
We analyze LinkedIn employee data to compute headcount by department, growth rates over 6/12/24-month windows, and revenue-relative metrics. Signals fire for multi-department rapid growth (3+ departments growing >5% YoY), departmental reallocation (resources shifting between functions), and normalized growth adjusted for company size. Each signal includes the full 26-department breakdown so you can see the complete organizational picture.
Available Subtypes
| Signal | Subtype Enum | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Department Rapid Growth | multiDepartmentRapidGrowth | 3+ departments growing ≥5% YoY simultaneously |
| Departmental Reallocation | departmentalReallocation | Resources shifting from declining to growing departments |
| Normalized Growth Signal | normalizedGrowthSignal | Overall company growth contextualized by size category |
| Sales Growth | departmentalGrowthSales | Sales department headcount and growth trends |
| Engineering Growth | departmentalGrowthEngineering | Engineering department headcount and growth trends |
| Marketing Growth | departmentalGrowthMarketing | Marketing department headcount and growth trends |
| Operations Growth | departmentalGrowthOperations | Operations department headcount and growth trends |
| Finance Growth | departmentalGrowthFinance | Finance department headcount and growth trends |
| IT Growth | departmentalGrowthInformationTechnology | IT department headcount and growth trends |
| HR Growth | departmentalGrowthHumanResources | HR department headcount and growth trends |
| Business Dev Growth | departmentalGrowthBusinessDevelopment | Business Development headcount and growth trends |
| Customer Success Growth | departmentalGrowthCustomerSuccessAndSupport | Customer Success headcount and growth trends |
| Product Management Growth | departmentalGrowthProductManagement | Product Management headcount and growth trends |
| Research Growth | departmentalGrowthResearch | Research department headcount and growth trends |
| Accounting Growth | departmentalGrowthAccounting | Accounting department headcount and growth trends |
| Administrative Growth | departmentalGrowthAdministrative | Administrative headcount and growth trends |
| Legal Growth | departmentalGrowthLegal | Legal department headcount and growth trends |
| Consulting Growth | departmentalGrowthConsulting | Consulting department headcount and growth trends |
| Education Growth | departmentalGrowthEducation | Education department headcount and growth trends |
| Media & Comm Growth | departmentalGrowthMediaAndCommunication | Media & Communication headcount and growth trends |
| Program Management Growth | departmentalGrowthProgramAndProjectManagement | Program Management headcount and growth trends |
| Healthcare Services Growth | departmentalGrowthHealthcareServices | Healthcare Services headcount and growth trends |
| Arts & Design Growth | departmentalGrowthArtsAndDesign | Arts & Design headcount and growth trends |
| QA Growth | departmentalGrowthQualityAssurance | Quality Assurance headcount and growth trends |
| Real Estate Growth | departmentalGrowthRealEstate | Real Estate department headcount and growth trends |
| Purchasing Growth | departmentalGrowthPurchasing | Purchasing department headcount and growth trends |
| Entrepreneurship Growth | departmentalGrowthEntrepreneurship | Entrepreneurship headcount and growth trends |
| Military Services Growth | departmentalGrowthMilitaryAndProtectiveServices | Military & Protective Services headcount and growth |
| Community Services Growth | departmentalGrowthCommunityAndSocialServices | Community & Social Services headcount and growth |
Schema
Base Signal Structure
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
signal_id | string | Unique identifier for the signal |
batch_id | string | Groups signals generated from the same company in the same batch |
signal_type | string | Always departmental-growth-trends |
signal_subtype | string | Specific signal subtype (see table above) |
detected_at | string | ISO 8601 timestamp when signal was generated |
association | string | Always company |
Company Object
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
company.name | string | Company name |
company.domain | string | Company website domain |
company.linkedin_url | string | LinkedIn company page URL |
company.industries | array[string] | Industry classifications |
company.employee_count_low | integer | Low end of employee count range |
company.employee_count_high | integer | High end of employee count range |
company.description | string | Company description (truncated) |
Data Object (Common Fields)
These fields are present on all subtypes:
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
data.summary | string | One-line signal summary |
data.description | string | Detailed signal description |
data.relevance_score | number | Score indicating how actionable this signal is for sales outreach (0.0–1.0, where 1.0 is highest). Higher values reflect greater commercial relevance based on factors like growth magnitude, company size, and potential impact on buying decisions. See the Relevance Score section below for scoring factors |
data.overall_growth.1yr | number | 1-year overall headcount growth % |
data.overall_growth.6mth | number | 6-month overall headcount growth % |
data.overall_growth.2yr | number | 2-year overall headcount growth % |
data.company_size_category | string | small, medium, large, or enterprise |
data.growth_category | string | slow, steady, rapid, or aggressive |
data.revenue_range_low | integer | Low end of revenue range (USD) |
data.revenue_range_high | integer | High end of revenue range (USD) |
data.total_headcount | integer | Total employee count |
data.decision_makers_count | integer | Count of decision makers |
data.median_tenure | number | Median employee tenure (years) |
data.source_timestamp | string | Original data source timestamp |
data.departments_metadata | object | Headcount and growth for all 26 departments (see below) |
departments_metadata Structure
The departments_metadata object contains headcount and 1-year growth data for all 26 tracked departments. Each department key maps to an object with headcount (integer) and growth_1yr (number, percentage).
Departments tracked: accounting, administrative, arts_and_design, business_development, community_and_social_services, consulting, customer_success, education, engineering, entrepreneurship, finance, healthcare_services, human_resources, information_technology, legal, marketing, media_and_communication, military_and_protective_services, operations, product_management, program_management, purchasing, quality_assurance, real_estate, research, sales
Subtype-Specific Fields
multiDepartmentRapidGrowth
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
data.departments_growing | array | Top 10 growing departments with headcount and growth |
data.departments_growing_count | integer | Total count of departments growing ≥5% |
data.growth_threshold | number | Growth threshold used (5.0%) |
data.fastest_growing_department | string | Name of fastest growing department |
data.fastest_growth_rate | number | Growth rate of fastest growing department |
departmentalReallocation
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
data.departments_growing | array | Growing departments with headcount changes |
data.departments_declining | array | Declining departments with headcount changes |
data.reallocation_magnitude | string | minor, moderate, or significant |
data.net_headcount_change | integer | Net change across all departments |
normalizedGrowthSignal
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
data.absolute_change | integer | Absolute headcount change (employees gained/lost) |
departmentalGrowth[Department]
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
data.department_name | string | Department name |
data.department_headcount | integer | Current department headcount |
data.department_growth_1yr | number | 1-year department growth % |
data.department_pct_of_total | number | Department as % of total headcount |
data.department_absolute_change | integer | Absolute headcount change |
Full Signal Example
{
"signal_id": "e8a8acd4-e0b9-4d8b-a57b-3fd1f7c28039",
"batch_id": "57bb0873-8b31-48f8-93f3-4551db67f5d3",
"signal_type": "departmental-growth-trends",
"signal_subtype": "multiDepartmentRapidGrowth",
"detected_at": "2026-01-08T04:05:28Z",
"association": "company",
"company": {
"name": "EY",
"domain": "ey.com",
"linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/ernstandyoung/",
"industries": ["Professional Services"],
"employee_count_low": 10001,
"employee_count_high": 369900,
"description": "EY is building a better working world..."
},
"data": {
"overall_growth": {
"1yr": 6.0,
"6mth": 1.0,
"2yr": 10.0
},
"company_size_category": "enterprise",
"growth_category": "rapid",
"revenue_range_low": 1000000000,
"revenue_range_high": 1000000000000,
"total_headcount": 369900,
"decision_makers_count": null,
"median_tenure": 3.3,
"source_timestamp": "2025-07-16T07:45:38.792Z",
"summary": "Rapid growth across 19 departments with Education leading at 53% YoY growth.",
"description": "Company is experiencing multi-department expansion, with 19 departments showing significant growth (≥5% YoY). The fastest growing department is Education at 53% growth, adding approximately 2170 employees.",
"relevance_score": 0.98,
"departments_growing": [
{ "department": "Education", "headcount": 6264, "growth_1yr": 53.0, "growth_1yr_absolute": 2170 },
{ "department": "HealthcareServices", "headcount": 1073, "growth_1yr": 32.0, "growth_1yr_absolute": 260 },
{ "department": "Sales", "headcount": 3781, "growth_1yr": 31.0, "growth_1yr_absolute": 895 },
{ "department": "Operations", "headcount": 7600, "growth_1yr": 14.0, "growth_1yr_absolute": 933 },
{ "department": "Administrative", "headcount": 10949, "growth_1yr": 14.0, "growth_1yr_absolute": 1345 }
],
"departments_growing_count": 19,
"growth_threshold": 5.0,
"fastest_growing_department": "Education",
"fastest_growth_rate": 53.0,
"departments_metadata": {
"finance": { "headcount": 20803, "growth_1yr": 3.0 },
"sales": { "headcount": 3781, "growth_1yr": 31.0 },
"engineering": { "headcount": 14056, "growth_1yr": 11.0 },
"marketing": { "headcount": 2510, "growth_1yr": 5.0 },
"operations": { "headcount": 7600, "growth_1yr": 14.0 },
"information_technology": { "headcount": 35812, "growth_1yr": 6.0 },
"human_resources": { "headcount": 8882, "growth_1yr": 6.0 },
"business_development": { "headcount": 25898, "growth_1yr": 2.0 },
"customer_success": { "headcount": 4036, "growth_1yr": 8.0 },
"product_management": { "headcount": 1022, "growth_1yr": -4.0 },
"research": { "headcount": 2809, "growth_1yr": 5.0 },
"accounting": { "headcount": 92811, "growth_1yr": 5.0 },
"administrative": { "headcount": 10949, "growth_1yr": 14.0 },
"legal": { "headcount": 4359, "growth_1yr": 4.0 },
"consulting": { "headcount": 46404, "growth_1yr": 6.0 },
"education": { "headcount": 6264, "growth_1yr": 53.0 },
"media_and_communication": { "headcount": 1631, "growth_1yr": 10.0 },
"program_management": { "headcount": 5474, "growth_1yr": 11.0 },
"healthcare_services": { "headcount": 1073, "growth_1yr": 32.0 },
"arts_and_design": { "headcount": 2550, "growth_1yr": 13.0 },
"quality_assurance": { "headcount": 1606, "growth_1yr": 13.0 },
"real_estate": { "headcount": 439, "growth_1yr": 0.0 },
"purchasing": { "headcount": 277, "growth_1yr": 3.0 },
"entrepreneurship": { "headcount": 10012, "growth_1yr": 2.0 },
"military_and_protective_services": { "headcount": 906, "growth_1yr": 14.0 },
"community_and_social_services": { "headcount": 2495, "growth_1yr": 13.0 }
}
}
}Relevance Score
The relevance_score (0.0-1.0) helps filter high-value signals based on:
- Growth magnitude: Higher growth rates increase relevance
- Absolute change: Larger headcount changes increase relevance
- Company size: Enterprise companies receive higher scores
- Multi-department growth: More departments growing = higher relevance
- Revenue: Higher revenue companies receive higher scores
Recommended filtering:
- Production use:
relevance_score >= 0.3 - High-priority signals:
relevance_score >= 0.7
Coverage
- Refresh: Quarterly
- Coverage: 2,000,000 companies
- Best for: HR tech, recruiting tools, market sizing, organizational analysis
Delivery
These signals are delivered via:
- JSONL: One signal per line, nested JSON structure
- Parquet: Columnar format with dot notation (
company.name,data.summary)
See Signal Database Delivery for more details.
Updated 5 days ago