Airbus to hire 13,000 new employees in 2023

The European plane maker is seeking tech workers against a backdrop of massive global job cuts in the sector

Airbus is aiming to ramp up production of its workhorse A320neo-series aircraft. Reuters

Airbus is planning to hire 13,000 new workers this year, with technology roles a key focus of its recruitment drive.

The tech industry has recorded massive layoffs in recent weeks, as a host of major companies cut tens of thousands of jobs amid concerns about global economic growth.

However, Airbus remained resilient throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, and is now well positioned for the next challenges, said Thierry Baril, Airbus chief human resources and workplace officer.

“Following the success of our recruitment last year, we will hire over 13,000 new employees again in 2023,” he said in a statement.

“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.”

Airbus currently employs more than 130,000 people across its businesses worldwide.

Of the 13,000 new roles, about 7,000 will be newly created posts, and 9,000 will be in Europe.

About one-quarter of the planned recruitment is focused on jobs in the fields of decarbonisation, digital transformation, software engineering and cyber technology, the company said.

It is also seeking candidates for roles in customer services.

A third of the total recruitment will also be allocated to young graduates, from which Airbus “plans to evolve future senior functional and business leaders through technical and leadership development, networking and exposure to top management”, the statement said.

The aerospace company added more than 13,000 new staff last year.

Airbus retained its crown as the world's biggest plane maker, ahead of Boeing, for the fourth consecutive year in 2022.

It won 1,078 jet orders, had a net total of 820 orders after cancellations, while its backlog stood at 7,239 aircraft at the end of December.

Airbus handed over 661 aircraft last year, an 8 per cent increase compared with 2021.

On Friday, Air France-KLM said it will order an additional seven Airbus A350 jets, including some freighters, as the carrier renews its wide-body fleet and retires Boeing 747 freighters.

Airbus is also aiming to ramp up production of its workhorse A320neo-series and develop technologies across commercial aviation, defence, space and helicopters.

The company has also been pushing into sustainable aviation, with a fuel-cell engine under development and plans for a hydrogen-powered aircraft — which is scheduled to enter service by 2035.

Airbus's hiring spree comes as major technology firms shrink their workforces, with Microsoft announcing the axing of 10,000 roles, Amazon shedding 18,000 jobs, Meta reducing its headcount by 11,000, and Twitter also reducing staff numbers by thousands, according to reports.

Earlier this month, in an interview with the US news channel CBS, the International Monetary Fund's managing director Kristalina Georgieva warned that a third of the world's economies may slide into a recession in 2023.

The global economy faces “a tough year, tougher than the year we leave behind”, she said.

“Why? Because the three big economies — US, EU, China — are all slowing down simultaneously.”

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