German MRO giant Lufthansa Technik hopes to hire more than 2,000 new workers this year and it is utilizing several new initiatives to recruit and retain staff.
According to a Lufthansa Technik (LHT) representative, recruiting has become even more challenging in recent years as the job market has shifted to favor employees. “In the past, our recruiters primarily focused on selecting the right candidates from a large pool of applicants, conducting interviews and making final selections. Today, we often need to use headhunters, especially for specialized roles, sometimes even recruiting specialists from abroad,” says the representative.
LHT has also started to see impacts from Germany’s low birth rates and a trend toward high school graduates pursuing university education instead of trades, making it harder for the company to fill certain roles. Additionally, high requirements under aviation law mean many of LHT’s new recruits participate in internal training programs before taking up roles on the shop floor.
Last month, the company welcomed 339 new apprentices and dual students at its German locations. LHT says this number has grown slightly from last year, and it filled 94% of available apprentice and dual student positions.
Women account for 9% of LHT’s traineeships and 24% of its dual student positions this year. To continue increasing the proportion of women in its workforce, LHT has started a women@LHT program focused on gender diversity and equal opportunities at the company. For instance, LHT has formed strategic partnerships with external networks to enhance its visibility as an attractive employer for female job candidates. It is also working to increase the visibility and development of women in the company, with the goal of increasing its proportion of women in senior management positions.
Additionally, the women@LHT program holds various events, such as empowerment workshops, internal and external networking, and celebrations for special days, such as International Women’s Day. LHT hiring managers and recruiters also now take unconscious bias training.
Approximately 17% of LHT’s current workforce is comprised of women. The company has deployed several other strategies to entice more female job candidates. These include targeted recruitment campaigns that highlight successful women in the company and emphasize career growth opportunities, partnerships with schools and organizations that support women in STEM, and work-life balance initiatives such as flexible working hours, part-time work options and what it says are family-friendly policies.
LHT is also looking to retain experienced workers who are considering retirement and to leverage the knowledge of retirees from external companies. Its Senior Experts Program allows retirees to contribute their expertise for a maximum period of up to two years to ensure knowledge transfer between generations. It utilizes mixed-age teams where experienced professionals share their knowledge with young workers. The program is available to employees who have completed partial retirement or signed a termination agreement close to retirement and retirees who want to share their professional experience with LHT. According to LHT, more than three dozen senior experts have been hired through the program or are going through the hiring process.
Meanwhile, to appeal to younger generations, LHT is focusing on what it calls “low-threshold application” methods, such as the option to apply for a job via WhatsApp.
“One trend we observe is that younger generations, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, prefer quick and convenient communication methods. They are more comfortable using messaging apps like WhatsApp and are more likely to engage with companies that offer low-barrier application methods,” says an LHT representative. “While such platforms don’t replace the entire recruitment process, they can help access a wider range of candidates more quickly and move them through the hiring process more efficiently.”
Beyond these initiatives, LHT continues to offer apprenticeships for deaf trainees every two years, and it is placing greater emphasis on recruiting international candidates. Although LHT has locations in the Middle East and Asia—two regions that traditionally have a large pool of skilled labor that is often recruited internationally—the LHT representative notes that these locations have not influenced the company’s success with international recruiting. Instead, LHT has analyzed which countries have potential candidates and relied on targeted marketing and active sourcing strategies.
