Annual Report2023
Engineering for the Future
How HENSOLDT
manages the
talent shortage
HENSOLDT is growing. In order to continue its expansion in the face of a cross-industry shortage of skilled labour, the company is treading new paths.
Research and development are essential for a technology company like HENSOLDT. That is why our employees, with all their knowledge and creativity, are our most important asset. Yet how can the company continue its growth in the face of an industry-wide shortage of skilled workers? How to find new engineers for the "sensor solution house" HENSOLDT? And how to prepare existing employees for the challenges of the future?
HENSOLDT not only raised these questions at an early stage, but also found the right answers, in line with its growth strategy and overarching corporate strategy.
Excursus: Systems engineer at HENSOLDT - A Top Job
In the context of the comprehensive product and technology portfolio, the "employees of the future" at HENSOLDT are characterised by a very special requirement profile. They not only possess the technological skills required for their daily work. In order to develop innovative solutions for HENSOLDT's customers, they also make use of the entire range of relevant technologies in a rapidly developing digital world.
HENSOLDT is already integrating technologies from the fields of optronics, radar, electronic warfare, avionics, software engineering, sensor data fusion and artificial intelligence into ever more comprehensive and powerful systems. Expertise in specific sub-areas alone is not enough. A systems engineer at HENSOLDT must be a true engineering generalist, with a thorough understanding of the application domain and user requirements, as well as possessing process expertise, management and leadership skills.
The basis for this is provided by studies or training, particularly in high-tech professions in the fields of electrical engineering, high-frequency and communications engineering, physics, software and artificial intelligence. Domain-specific expertise and the knowledge required to develop highly available and secure systems can then be acquired internally at HENSOLDT.
New Ways of Recruiting
Across the company, HENSOLDT has hired more than 850 new employees in 2023 alone. The company is also benefiting from the change in the image of the defence industry associated with the ‘Zeitenwende’. HENSOLDT's motto "Together we are making the difference for a safer tomorrow" has become a door opener. As one of the few high-tech companies that develops its own technology - often in cooperation with research institutes and universities - the company is particularly attractive to young engineers and offers interesting prospects.
However, the shortage of skilled labour is also affecting HENSOLDT. Experienced older employees from the baby boomer generation with know-how are leaving the company and retire. At the same time, fewer students choose technical careers.
HENSOLDT defines target group-oriented profiles with specialist departments to find technical experts. Potential candidates are directly approached on the international labour market based on these profiles, in collaboration with external partners and agencies. In 2023, HENSOLDT successfully recruited numerous experts from NATO member states through this "active sourcing" talent search.
New Ways of Qualification
HENSOLDT has expanded its internal training and development opportunities. The company seeks highly qualified candidates with years of professional experience and also provides opportunities for applicants with junior profiles to develop internally through appropriate education programmes and on-the-job training. And anyone starting their training at HENSOLDT today is guaranteed a permanent position with the prospect of a successful career in the company.
To this end, internal training - including in technical professions - has increased by more than 80% between 2015 and 2023 and is now a key pillar for the future. In 2023, the number of employees attending internal system engineering courses alone increased by over 400%.
HENSOLDT has consolidated all of its training activities under its Corporate College. A team of highly skilled engineers, known as training officers, oversees the development of future talent. The various training and qualification initiatives are connected globally, and theory and practice are expertly integrated.
This approach effectively compensates for the lack of expertise in the market and empowers HENSOLDT employees to be prepared for future challenges.
Standing Out in the "War for Talent”
Dr. Lars Immisch, Chief HR Officer at HENSOLDT, concludes: "In my opinion, HENSOLDT is already well positioned in the market. The company has a number of initiatives that present us as an attractive employer. Our employees are our best ambassadors. They show potential applicants directly and authentically what and who awaits them in the job and in working together, what inspires us all at HENSOLDT and that we are all proud to work here. In order to facilitate smart growth, we plan to recruit almost 1,000 new employees over the next two to three years as part of our strategic skills management programme. Our corporate culture, which takes the needs of each individual seriously, is also crucial to our attractiveness as an employer.”