Employee costs and numbers (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Additional information [abstract]

Employee costs and average number of employees

			$ million
Employee costs	2018	2017	2016
Wages and salariesa	7,931	7,572	8,456
Social security costs	743	711	760
Share-based paymentsb	669	624	764
Pension and other post-retirement benefit costs	1,154	1,296	1,253
	10,497	10,203	11,233

			2018			2017			2016
Average number of employeesc	US	Non-US	Total	US	Non-US	Total	US	Non-US	Total
Upstream	5,900	11,500	17,400	6,200	12,200	18,400	6,700	13,500	20,200
Downstreamd e	6,000	36,300	42,300	6,100	35,900	42,000	6,600	36,600	43,200
Other businesses and corporatee f	1,900	12,100	14,000	1,900	12,400	14,300	1,900	12,100	14,000
	13,800	59,900	73,700	14,200	60,500	74,700	15,200	62,200	77,400

^a Includes termination costs of $493 million (2017$189 million and 2016$545 million).

^b The group provides certain employees with shares and share options as part of their remuneration packages. The majority of these share-based payment arrangements are equity-settled.

^c Reported to the nearest 100.

^d Includes 17,100 (201716,500 and 201615,800) service station staff.

^e Around 800 centralized function employees were reallocated from Upstream and Downstream to Other businesses and corporate during 2016.

^f Includes 4,000 (20174,700 and 20164,900) agricultural, operational and seasonal workers in Brazil.