Laid-off tech workers can hope for a second act as Airbus hires

Airbus SE is looking to hire workers from the tech industry who were recently let go as part of an industrywide downsizing drive, as the planemaker ramps up staffing to develop next-generation technologies and adds employees to help speed deliveries.

The aircraft manufacturer will look to take on some workers laid off by technology giants, especially as they have skill sets in areas that Airbus is trying to build up, Thierry Baril, Airbus’s chief human resources officer, told reporters on Thursday. Along with traditional roles such as manufacturing, Airbus is seeking to beef up staffing in cyber and digital, along with new energies.

Overall, Airbus is looking to hire 13,000 workers this year as the world’s biggest planemaker ramps up production of its workhorse A320neo-series and develops technologies across commercial aviation, defense, space and helicopters. 

Technology companies have been slashing headcount after growing aggressively through the pandemic. On Thursday, Germany software giant SAP SE said it will cut about 3,000 jobs this year, joining a growing list of tech peers, from Microsoft Corp to Alphabet Inc to Amazon.com Inc., that are eliminating jobs.

The bulk of Airbus’s 2023 hiring — about two thirds — will be in France,  Germany, the UK and Spain, Baril said. Toulouse, France-based Airbus employs more than 130,000 workers across multiple locations, and hired about 13,000 workers in 2022.