With a move towards decarbonisation, Airbus is aiming to bring new skills into its workforce with the hiring of 6,000 people which could be good news for its huge factory in Deeside. Tony McDonough reports
Planemaker Airbus is to create 4,000 new jobs in a move that could see the workforce at its giant factory in Deeside grow its workforce once again.
In May 2020, as the full force of the global pandemic was starting to be felt by the aviation sector, Airbus chief executive, Guillaume Faury told executives at the business that it was facing a fight for its survival.
This has significant consequences for its wing-making plant at Broughton, which at the time employed around 6,000 people – many of them living in the Liverpool city region. The workforce at the site was slashed by a third and headcount is now around 4,000.
Airbus, which was reported to have hit its aircraft delivery targets for 2021 in a sign of a significant turnaround, now says it needs new people to help it navigate into a new era for the aviation sector, particularly in the area of decarbonisation.
Along with low-cost airline easyJet, Airbus is one of a number of players in the FlyZero project which aims to develop a commercial aircraft, powered by hydrogen, that could carry 279 passengers halfway around the world without refuelling.
The company says the 6,000 new roles will be across its global operations and has yet to offer further details of locations. Thierry Baril, Airbus chief human resources and workplace officer, said on Wednesday: “Airbus has demonstrated resilience throughout the COVID crisis, and has laid the foundations for a bold future for sustainable aviation.
“This can only be achieved by acquiring the right talents in the various domains of expertise that will help us grow our activities as we come out of the crisis, while preparing the long-term transformation of the company.
“Following this initial wave of recruitment, which will take place worldwide and across all our businesses, the number of external hires will be reassessed before mid-year 2022 and we will adjust our needs accordingly.
“Not only will we look at acquiring the new skills that Airbus needs in the post-COVID world, but we will also do our utmost to reinforce diversity across the company, fostering a safe and inclusive culture reinforcing Team Airbus to be ready to pioneer sustainable aerospace.”
About a quarter of the planned recruitments should focus on acquiring the new skills to support the company’s long-term projects and ambition, notably in the fields of decarbonisation, digital transformation and cyber technology. A third of the total recruitment will be allocated to young graduates.
To learn more about the range of opportunities available at Airbus, potential applicants can visit the Airbus website at www.airbus.com/en/careers