Paris Air Show: Airbus “places” an employment truck on the tarmac

A truck, alongside planes, on a tarmac. A first, which created a buzz at the Paris Air Show. With its blue and purple pop colors, the Airbus semi-trailer can be seen from afar. And this is the goal sought by the European aeronautics giant, which breaks the codes to attract the attention of visitors. "Placed at the heart of the static exhibition, in the middle of our planes and our helicopters, this truck is a place for meetings and exchanges between our employees and the visitors to whom we open the doors of our universe and our professions" , explains Thibault Le Guillou, head of employment marketing for Airbus in France.

Once its doors are deployed, the machine projects a 100m2 space with its terrace, where events and exchanges with recruiters are organized. “Our goal is to convert the interest shown by visitors, in particular those looking for a job or retraining, into applications,” underlines Thibault Le Guillou. It is also a question of “arousing vocations” among young audiences.

This original initiative is part of the actions taken by Airbus to attract talent in a tight labor market. The group plans to recruit 3,500 people in France, including 2,300 in its commercial aircraft branch, and to welcome 1,000 apprentices. This objective is part of an international campaign, which covers 13,000 hires worldwide. These massive recruitments aim to secure the increased production rates initiated for the A320neo, the A220 and the long-haul A330neo and A350. Airbus has more than 7230 aircraft to produce in order book! But also to work on the carbon-free aircraft of the future.

Despite its rank as the world leader in commercial aviation and a strong employer brand, Airbus has seen it: it must “reach out” to potential candidates. "We are targeting three families of professions for which the difficulties of recruitment are different", sums up the head of employment marketing at Airbus.

Jobs related to production, first. These are positions for manufacturing agents, mechanics, electronics engineers and logistics support specialists. “In these professions, the difficulty lies in the drying up of the pool of qualified candidates”, notes Thibault Le Guillou. Airbus, in liaison with Pôle emploi and temporary work agencies, organize meetings in order to embark, after aptitude tests, jobseekers and people in retraining in qualifying courses. “In 2023, our goal is to train 800 employees. We don't stop at the CV or diplomas. What matters is desire and skills,” insists Thibault Le Guillou. Airbus also trains young people, through its two high schools, based in Toulouse and Méaulte, from the CAP to the professional baccalaureate, with, as a bonus, a diploma and often a job offer.

In the digital professions - artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, software, data analysts -, which represent 30% of the recruitments planned for 2023, the group is in competition with all the other sectors (distribution, automotive, cosmetics, etc.). “These professions are under very high pressure due to the mismatch between the volume of job offers and the number of students and trained professionals. Also, manufacturing is often not the first sector they think of. We are in fierce competition with the digital sector,” explains Thibault Le Guillou. Airbus therefore opened its own school this year to train in cybersecurity professions, in Toulouse, in partnership with the Ynov school, with a master's degree.

Finally, in the engineering professions - in production, design offices, maintenance, customer support... -, "we have no difficulty in attracting talent. But there is an imbalance between the supply and the number of trained engineers,” says Thibault Le Guillou. The scarcity is glaring in emerging professions such as hydrogen engineer, a skill which is at the heart of Airbus' strategy with the Zero-e aircraft program ("e" for polluting emission). Airbus must also answer questions about its concrete commitments to decarbonize its planes. “Coming to Airbus means having a direct impact on the energy transition, by participating in the low-carbon aircraft project,” notes the Airbus employment marketing manager. For the European giant, the challenge is also to fight against self-censorship, in particular of young women, who think that they do not meet all the criteria to work in aeronautics. And against the received idea that Airbus only recruits engineers.