Introduction
Defense industry: a turning point in HR policy
The changed security situation worldwide and a war in Europe have brought the topic of “defense capability” into focus – both in politics and among the population. Investments in defense equipment are rising rapidly and the security and defense industry is booming. Procurement processes that sometimes dragged on for a long time before 2022 are accelerating. Today, completely different quantities and availability requirements are on the table than just a few years ago. This means: companies have to increase their development and production capacities to an unprecedented extent. And with them the number of, in some cases, highly specialized employees. We asked experts from the field how they are mastering the new challenge in their HR strategy.
The “turning point” (Zeitenwende) proclaimed by politicians after the attack on Ukraine also applies to the HR departments in the defense sector. For a long time, other industries seemed much more attractive to specialists, e.g. the automotive industry or the IT sector. Until a few years ago, many job seekers did not even consider applying in the defense industry. Growing geopolitical uncertainty, but also job cuts in previously successful industries, have led to a rethink. Today, large parts of the population consider the defense industry important and the jobs in this sector secure. Employment growth is in full swing.
