BASF Report 2021 Consoli dated Financial Statements – Notes 280 Number of employees The average number of employees was distributed over the regions 29 Share price-based compensation programs as follows: and BASF incentive share program As of December 31, 2021, the number of employees increased to 111,047 employees compared with 110,302 employees as of Average number of employees Share price-based compensation programs December 31, 2020. The rise was primarily due to staf f increases in 2021 2020 Asia Pacific, especially in connection with the formation of In 2021, the BASF Group continued offering its share price-based BASF Shanshan Battery Materials Co., Ltd., as well as for the new Europe 67,788 71,329 compensation program (the long-term incentive (LTI) program), Verbund site in Zhanjiang, China. The divestiture of the pigments of which Germany 51,144 53,080 known as Strive!, which was launched in 2020. The share price- business, which comprised around 2,500 employees, had an North America 16,765 18,599 based compensation program known as “BOP” (BASF Option offsetting impact. Asia Pacific 18,464 18,719 Program), which had existed since 1999, was offered for the last South America, Africa, Middle East 6,799 7,326 time in 2020. All option rights granted during the BOP program As of December 31, 2021, a total of 1,175 employees (2020: years remain valid until the end of their respective exercise periods. 1,137 employees) worked at joint operations. BASF Group 109,815 115,973 of which apprentices and trainees 2,750 2,821 Generally, members of the Board of Executive Directors and all The development of the number of employees was distributed over temporary staff 2,400 2,518 senior executives are entitled to participate in the LTI programs. the regions as follows: The average number of employees decreased to 109,815 employ- Strive! Number of employees as of December 31 ees in 2021 (2020: 115,973 employees). This decline was primarily 2021 2020 due to the divestiture of the construction chemicals business in the Strive! is based on a performance share plan and takes into account previous year and to the divestiture of the pigments business in the the achievement of strategic goals and the development of the Europe 67,532 68,849 year under review. Employees from joint operations are included in BASF share and dividend (total shareholder return) over a period of of which Germany 51,026 51,961 the average number of employees relative to BASF’s share in the four years. North America 16,753 16,948 company. On average, these had a total of 1,143 employees (2020: Asia Pacific 19,976 17,753 1,055 employees). Participation in Strive! is voluntary for senior executives and is linked South America, Africa, Middle East 6,786 6,752 For more information on acquisitions and divestitures, see Note 3 from page 207 onward to a share ownership obligation. Strive! offers rolling eligibility, without a deadline for participation. Approximately 700 people were BASF Group 111,047 110,302 eligible to participate in Strive! in 2021. About 90% of eligible senior of which apprentices and trainees 3,028 3,120 executives and the Members of the Board of Executive Directors temporary staff 2,329 2,128 participated. Unlike for senior executives, participation is not voluntary for the members of the Board of Executive Directors and is outlined in their service contracts. The same plan conditions generally apply to members of the Board of Executive Directors. A Strive! plan includes a four-year performance period with a fixed disbursement date. A target amount is determined at the beginning of each new Strive! plan for every participant. This target amount is converted into a preliminary number of virtual performance share units (PSUs) by dividing it by the average BASF share price in the fourth quarter of the previous year. The number of PSUs that are