American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (AEO)

Clothing stores, 45,000 associates, 78% part-time. Read October 2, 2026 from the annual report for the period ending January 31, 2026, filed March 30, 2026. Ranked 5 of the 54 Consumer Cyclical companies read so far, by the share within reach now.

The filing states the total, the part-time and seasonal count and the U.S. count, nothing by kind of work, so the whole workforce takes the clothing retail pattern by description (c).

The figures on this page come from the company's own annual report and from BLS staffing patterns for its industries, never from a roster. They are estimates with a stated method. Nothing here says what the company will do: within reach is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.

What follows from the reading

Share of working time within reach of AI, on the long-run pace at four in five: 24% now, 29% at the end of 2027, 30% at the end of 2028, 31% at the end of 2030. By the patterns, the work is about 31% desk work, 27% people work and 42% body work. These are the site's industry estimates weighted by the shares below: estimates with a stated method and range, not a forecast of what the company will do. By the same patterns, at the end of 2028 about 69% of the working time stays with people (conversation, in-person and hands-on work), 17% becomes checking a model's work and 13% could be handed over with lighter checks, from the industries' own figures, not the company's roles.

Headcount

45,000 employees as of February 1, 2026 (stated). About 39,000 of 45,000 associates in the U.S.

The filing: “As of February 1, 2026, we employed approximately 45,000 associates throughout the world, including the U.S., of whom approximately 35,000 were part-time or seasonal associates.”

The workforce as industry patterns

What the filing says about the workforce: About 45,000 associates, 35,000 of them part-time or seasonal; about 39,000 in the U.S., 31,000 of them part-time or seasonal; a full-time promotion rate of 19% in fiscal 2025.

Companies read with the same leading pattern

Other companies whose largest staffing pattern is also Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers, largest first, each read from its own annual report. Within reach now and at the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.

• TJX (TJX, 377,000 employees)23% now, 31% by 2028
• Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST, 111,000 employees)23% now, 29% by 2028
• Burlington Stores, Inc. (BURL, 83,309 employees)23% now, 31% by 2028
• The Gap, Inc. (GAP, 79,000 employees)23% now, 32% by 2028
• Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (ANF, 43,200 employees)24% now, 30% by 2028
• Lululemon Athletica Inc. (LULU, 39,000 employees)24% now, 30% by 2028

What the filing says about AI

26 sentences in the filing name AI. Twenty-six sentences: AI and advanced analytics in its security screening of personnel and vehicles, the risk that competitors may outpace it in incorporating AI into products and customer engagement, and other risk language.

• “By employing sophisticated screening techniques for personnel and vehicles and 10 incorporating artificial intelligence ("AI") and advanced analytics, we enhance situational awareness and early detection capabilities to identify any security deviations deserving prompt attention.”
• “We face a variety of competitive challenges, including: Anticipating and quickly responding to changing consumer demands or preferences better than our competitors; Maintaining favorable brand recognition and effective marketing of our products to consumers in several demographic markets; Sourcing merchandise efficiently; Developing innovative, high-quality merchandise in styles that appeal to...”
• “Additionally, our competitors may outpace us in incorporating new technologies, such as AI, into their product offerings and engagement with customers, which could affect our competitiveness and operational outcomes.”
• “Personal information within any dataset collected from our business for AI purposes may be vulnerable to unauthorized acquisition or access, compromise or loss, which could lead to heightened business and security costs, reputational damage, administrative penalties, significant legal and financial exposure.”
• “The content, analyses, or recommendations generated by AI programs, if deficient, inaccurate, or biased, could adversely impact our business, financial condition, and operational results, as well as our reputation.”

Its annual reports, year by year

Sentences naming AI in each annual report, counted by one rule, beside the median report in the Index that year. Each count links its filing. Every company, by year and sector

• Fiscal 20210median 0
• Fiscal 20221median 0
• Fiscal 202310median 1
• Fiscal 202415median 4
• Fiscal 202526median 10

Headcount by filing year

As reported in each year's annual report, with the filing. A year marked not read had no figure the reading could take from the report's text.

Limits of this reading

• No count for stores against distribution and corporate: one retail pattern by description (c).

Source: the company's annual report on EDGAR, accession 0001193125-26-132097, the filing. Read by Claude Fable 5.1 under rubric version 1, by the method. A company can write to info@stratussc.com to have its reading checked against its filing.