I am doing a little research on the United States’ Department of Defense for my job right now, and trying to answer the question of how it has so much influence over policy. This graphic is probably quite peripheral to my work, but it was interesting enough to share nonetheless. Who would have thought that the Department of Defense would be the world’s biggest employer–by a long shot?
The Economist released this graphic, and it is incredibly striking. The US, China, England, and India are all represented, but the Department of Defense has an edge over the others by a long shot.
My family and I toured the Pentagon earlier this year, and were struck by just how huge it is. I guess it makes sense, in retrospect, that the largest building in the world (measured in square footage) would house a portion of the largest workforce in the world. And, of course, the target of a major terrorist attack on September 11, 2001.
So there you have it: the world’s biggest employers, although I might not compare working at the Department of Defense to working at Walmart. You never know though.
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