Exploring Employee Headcount Accuracy

Employee headcount information can be a powerful indicator of a company’s revenue growth, corporate strategy and overall health. While LinkedIn is often viewed as a gold-standard source for company headcounts, its estimates are impacted by several important limitations. This report investigates the key factors contributing to inaccuracies in LinkedIn's data, including profile quality, person-to-company matching, and parent-subsidiary relationships. Leveraging concrete examples, we will explore the significant effects this can have on LinkedIn’s data quality and offer strategies for achieving more precise and reliable headcount estimates.