Tesla’s Global Expansion Boosted Employment by 47% Last Year

(Bloomberg) -- Tesla Inc. grew its global workforce by almost half last year as the electric-vehicle maker expanded operations in China and Germany and delivered almost half a million cars worldwide.

Employment totaled 70,757 at the end of 2020, up 47% from 48,016 in 2019, according to its 10-K filing.

Tesla’s factory on the outskirts of Shanghai has been key to bulking up its presence in China, where sales jumped 124% to $6.7 billion last year. Model Y deliveries began in January, and sales of the Model 3 started a little over a year ago.

Last year was the first time the majority of the company’s revenue came from outside the U.S.

Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s Palo Alto, California-based manufacturer is building two new vehicle-assembly operations: one outside Berlin that could eventually produce as many as 500,000 cars annually and one in Texas that will make the brand’s first pickup truck.

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