European aircraft manufacturer Airbus is ramping up its quest for new talent as it prepares for the future of aerospace. And to support its commercial aircraft step-up and to meet challenges in the defense, space, and helicopter sectors, Airbus intends to recruit more than 13,000 people globally this year. Could the manufacturer be a beacon of hope for thousands of laid-off employees from other industries?

Airbus is opening new job positions

This year's massive recruitment drive follows the significant success of last year, when Airbus welcomed more than 13,000 new employees from around the world. And out of the over 13,000 hopeful new recruits for this year, the planemaker highlighted that approximately 7,000 of these will be newly created posts across the company.

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These new hires will be instrumental in supporting Airbus' industrial ramp-up and its ambitious decarbonization roadmap. Over 9,000 of these posts will be based in Europe, in countries such as Germany, France, Portugal, and the Netherlands. Such positions include metal workers, painters, and electricians as part of Airbus' production environment.

At the same time, the rest are scattered throughout Airbus' global network, such as Singapore, Canada, India, and China. And a third of the total recruitment will also be allocated to recent graduates, which further highlights Airbus' commitment to diversifying its workforce, as emphasized by Thierry Baril, Chief Human Resources & Workplace Officer of Airbus, as he said:

"Following the success of our recruitment last year, we will hire over 13,000 employees again in 2023. We call on talented individuals from all over the world to join us in our journey to make sustainable aerospace a reality and to help us build a better, more diverse, and inclusive workplace for all our employees.”

Supporting Airbus' long-term vision

While it's evident that this year's recruitment drive is worldwide, it's worth noting that Airbus is placing a heavier emphasis on technical and manufacturing profiles. It is also seeking the acquisition of new skills in sectors such as new energies, cyber, and digital. This is to support the manufacturer's long-term vision regarding technological transformation and pioneering sustainable aviation.

According to Airbus, this new-generation workforce will include software engineers, cloud computing experts, customer engineers, hydrogen engineers, material technicians, operators, data analysts, cyber security experts, robotics experts, and many others. With Airbus looking out for these skillsets, new talent could be attracted into the aviation industry from other sectors.

Thousands of employees from the global technological sectors have been met with massive layoffs since late last year amid recession scares, and it's still ongoing this month, with over 60,000 employees losing their jobs in January alone. Airbus' recruitment drive could very well be the beacon of hope for those who were laid off.

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Bottom line

Although the prolonged supply-chain issues will continue to weigh on aircraft deliveries this year as they did last year, Airbus is still focusing on its overall growth moving forward. Besides delivery deadlines, the manufacturer also has sustainability targets it's eager to meet.

These include achieving a mature technology readiness level for a hydrogen-combustion propulsion system within the next two years for the Airbus ZEROe program. Deadlines and programs like these would be where Airbus needs the new-generation workforce to be.

• 

  Airbus

  Stock Code:

  AIR

  Date Founded:

  1970-12-18

  CEO:

  Guillaume Faury

  Headquarters Location:

  Toulouse, France

  Key Product Lines:

  Airbus A220, Airbus A320, Airbus A330, Airbus A340, Airbus A350, Airbus A380

  Business Type:

  Planemaker