How Many People Work at Qualcomm? Headcount and Employee Trends

Qualcomm is a wireless technology company that employs more than 16,000 people across its global operations. Recent staffing data shows the organisation added just over one thousand employees while attrition remained at a similar level, resulting in a stable overall headcount. This modest net growth reflects measured expansion designed to support the company’s semiconductor, licensing and connectivity businesses.

Engineering is by far the largest function at Qualcomm, accounting for roughly seven in ten employees, a sign of the organisation’s strong research-and-development orientation. Information Technology is the next-largest group with a little over seven percent of the workforce, followed by Marketing & Product, Finance & Administration, and Business Management. Sales & Support, Operations, Program & Project Management, and Human Resources each represent smaller yet essential portions of the employee base. Hiring has been distributed across most departments, helping to balance departures and maintain steady staffing levels.

Nearly half of Qualcomm’s employees are based at its headquarters cluster in San Diego, underscoring the city’s importance as the centre of the company’s engineering and corporate teams. India is the largest international hub, with sizeable teams in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai that collectively exceed 1,900 employees. Additional U.S. offices in San Jose, Santa Clara, Austin, Boulder and Los Angeles contribute specialised engineering and business talent. A further group of employees is spread across other domestic and international sites, illustrating Qualcomm’s broad geographic footprint.