pre_text: Employee Share Ownership Plan UK employees are eligible to participate in the Employee Share Ownership Plan (ESOP). The aim of the ESOP is to encourage increased shareholding in the Company by all UK employees and so there are no performance conditions. Employees are invited to join the ESOP when an offer is made each year. Individuals save for 12 months during the accumulation period and subscribe for shares at the lower of the price at the beginning and the end of the accumulation period under HMRC rules. The Company provides a matching share for each share purchased by the individual. Shares issued under the ESOP have been measured using the Present Economic Value (PEV) valuation methodology. The relevant disclosures in respect of the Employee Share Ownership Plans are set out below. The accumulation period for the 2019 ESOP ends in September 2020, therefore some figures are projections.
table: 2015 Grant 2016 Grant 2017 Grant 2018 Grant 2019 Grant
table: Grant date 1st October 1st October 1st October 1st October 1st October
table: Exercise price 2,797.0p 4,477.3p 5,496.7p 7,240.0p 7,835.0p
table: Number of employees 1,038 1,040 1,229 1,294 1,318
table: Shares under scheme 34,449 22,173 22,411 16,687 16,820
table: Vesting period 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 3 years
table: Expected volatility 21% 21% 21% 19% 21%
table: Risk free interest rate 0.4% 0.1% 0.4% 0.8% 0.5%
table: Expected dividend yield 2.5% 2.5% 2.3% 2.0% 1.8%
table: Fair value 2,931.3p 4,696.7p 5,799.0p 7,623.7p 8,305.1p
question: Analyse this data from a financial earnings document. What was the change in the number of employees in 2019 from 2018?