headcount

noun

Etymology: From head + count.

1. The act of counting how many people are present in a group.

   “Let's take a quick headcount, to make sure we're all here.”

   “Population 39,693 (just north of 115,000 today), Cheltenham has been overtaken by Gloucester in terms of headcount.”

2. The number of people present in a group or employed by a company.

   “The company's headcount on January 1 was 15,203.”

   “The last headcount data for BTP is from December 2022, when the number of BTP officers was 3,183, up from 3,175 in April 2022.”

3. More generally, a consideration of a company's appropriate staffing level based on some larger context. (Generally used adjectivally.)

   “Due to economic difficulties, the company will be making headcount adjustments.”

4. By extension, one slot in a workgroup, filled or to be filled by one person.

   “I've convinced management to give us one more headcount, to take some work off the rest of us.”