The Workforce AI Index · Consumer Cyclical
Burlington Stores, Inc. (BURL)
Off-price retailer, counted by workplace. Read October 1, 2026 from the annual report for the period ending 2026-01-31, filed 2026-03-19. Ranked 4 of the 39 Consumer Cyclical companies read so far, by the share within reach now: the sector.
The filing states 83,309 associates with 91% in stores, 6% in distribution centers and 3% corporate, so the patterns follow those shares (a).
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: 23% now, 29% at the end of 2027, 31% at the end of 2028, 31% at the end of 2030. By the patterns, the work is about 31% desk work, 26% people work and 43% 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), 18% 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
83,309 employees as of 2026-01-31 (stated). The filing describes its stores and distribution centers without a count by country.
The filing: “As of January 31, 2026, we employed 83,309 associates, of which 79% were part-time or seasonal associates. Of our associates, 91% worked in our stores, 6% worked in our distribution centers and 3% worked in our corporate organization.”
The workforce as industry patterns
| Pattern | Share | Reason, from the filing |
|---|---|---|
| Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers | 91% | By a stated share (a): 91% of associates worked in its stores, off-price apparel and home stores. |
| Warehousing and Storage | 6% | By a stated share (a): 6% of associates worked in its distribution centers. |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 3% | By a stated share (a): the filing states 3% of associates worked in its corporate organization, a stated corporate headcount under rule 6. |
What the filing says about the workforce: 83,309 associates, 79% part-time or seasonal; 91% in stores, 6% in distribution centers, 3% corporate; associates at one store under a collective bargaining agreement; 73% female.
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
- The Gap, Inc. (GAP, 79,000 employees)23% now, 32% by 2028
What the filing says about AI
3 sentences in the filing name AI. The filing names AI in 3 sentences, as risk: competitors using AI more effectively, defects in AI capabilities in software, and AI intensifying cybersecurity threats.
- “Additionally, existing competitors may consolidate with other retailers, expand their merchandise offerings, expand their e-commerce capabilities, and/or add new sales channels, change their pricing strategies, or use technology more effectively than we do, including the use of artificial intelligence ("AI") or other emerging technologies.”
- “Hardware, software or applications (including AI capabilities) we develop or obtain from third parties may contain defects in design or manufacture or other problems that are not presently known and could unexpectedly compromise information security.”
- “Moreover, the rapid evolution and increased adoption of artificial intelligence, machine learning, Software as a Service (SaaS), and cloud technologies may intensify our cybersecurity risks, especially as threat actors use AI to enhance attacks that are harder to detect and defend against.”
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.
| Period | Employees | Filed | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-31 | 83,309 | 2026-03-19 | 10-K |
| 2025-02-01 | 77,532 | 2025-03-17 | 10-K |
| 2024-02-03 | 71,049 | 2024-03-15 | 10-K |
| 2023-01-28 | 61,166 | 2023-03-13 | 10-K |
| 2022-01-29 | 62,395 | 2022-03-16 | 10-K |
| 2021-01-30 | 55,959 | 2021-03-15 | 10-K |
| 2020-02-01 | 47,000 | 2020-03-13 | 10-K |
| 2019-02-02 | 44,000 | 2019-03-20 | 10-K |
| 2018-02-03 | 40,000 | 2018-03-20 | 10-K |
| 2017-01-28 | 40,000 | 2017-03-16 | 10-K |
| 2016-01-30 | 37,500 | 2016-03-15 | 10-K |
| 2015-01-31 | 34,000 | 2015-03-25 | 10-K |
| 2014-02-01 | 30,095 | 2014-03-31 | 10-K |
Source: the company's annual report on EDGAR, accession 0001193125-26-116001, 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.
Questions about this company
- How much of Burlington Stores, Inc.'s working time is within reach of AI?
- An estimated 23% now and 31% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five, from the workforce Burlington Stores, Inc.'s own annual report describes and BLS staffing patterns for its industries, never from a roster. It is an estimate with a stated method. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings, and it says nothing about what the company will do.
- How many people does Burlington Stores, Inc. employ?
- 83,309 as of January 31, 2026, as its annual report for the period ending January 31, 2026 states.
- What kinds of work make up Burlington Stores, Inc.'s workforce?
- Read from its annual report as a blend of 3 industry staffing patterns, the largest Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers; by those patterns the work is about 31% desk work, 26% people work and 43% body work. Each share has a one-sentence reason on this page that can be checked against the filing.
- What does Burlington Stores, Inc.'s annual report say about AI?
- 3 sentences in the filing name AI. They are counted and quoted on this page, never judged: a count says how much a filing talks about AI, not what the company does with it.
- How is this estimated?
- Claude Fable 5.1 read the annual report under the Index's written rubric (version 1) on October 1, 2026: the stated headcount, the share in the U.S. when stated, and the workforce as a blend of industry staffing patterns. The estimates are the site's industry estimates weighted by those shares, from O*NET tasks with estimated lengths and METR's measurements of how long a task AI models can finish. A company can write to info@stratussc.com to have its reading checked against its filing.
Embed these figures on your site
A small card with the share of working time within reach now and at the end of 2027, 2028 and 2030, the date and a link back. Free under CC BY 4.0; the card carries the credit.