Lufthansa is one of the most attractive employers in Germany. Presenting the company`s record on employment in Frankfurt today, Stefan Lauer, Chief Executive Human Resources, said the report showed that Lufthansa had proved a reliable and steadfast employer, especially in the aftermath of 11 September 2001.
“We overcame the crisis jointly with our staff. The solutions we reached with the employee representatives enabled us to avoid compulsory redundancies,” Lauer said. “This approach underlines our policy not to regard staff as a cost factor but as the basis of our entrepreneurial success.”
Lufthansa is responding to the projected growth in air traffic and the requirements of its expansion strategy and is therefore seeking to recruit competent and dedicated staff. Market developments permitting, Lufthansa plans next year to recruit 1,800 flight attendants, 340 pilots and 410 airport staff for Frankfurt and Munich in the operational areas of its Passenger Business segment. In addition, the Group also has vacancies for a total of 600 university graduates. Employment prospects are positive because in the last few years Lufthansa has introduced progressive working time arrangements which enable the airline to adjust its workforce flexibly without having to lay off staff in a crisis. At present 28 per cent of staff in the Passenger Business segment benefit from these offers and are employed in various part-time schemes which take particular account of the wish to combine a career and family.
In addition, Lufthansa plans to create new training positions. In 2003, a total of 644 apprenticeships will be available in the fields of aviation maintenance, commerce and information technology - providing that the economy remains stable. This represents an increase of 18 per cent compared to 2002. Employment prospects at the end of the training are very good. For the most part Lufthansa trains its own staff and almost 90 per cent of trainees can expect to be taken on by the company.
With its six different business areas the Lufthansa Group offers a wide range of jobs and career prospects. Lufthansa`s workforce is expanding worldwide: of the some 92,000 staff, over 57,000 work in Germany, which represents an increase of nearly 20 per cent in the last five years. With more than 32,000 employees in Frankfurt, Lufthansa is the largest employer in the state of Hesse and therefore has a major impact on the economic development of the Rhine-Main region. The Group`s largest business segment is Passenger Business with some 29,000 employees.
Given steady economic growth and political stability, Lufthansa will be able to create many new jobs in the future too. The new “Be Lufthansa” recruitment campaign will help the company to select suitable candidates from the some 100,000 applications received every year. “Be Lufthansa” will thus position the company as an attractive employer in the eyes of potential recruits. The core values Lufthansa seeks in its employees are leadership, professionalism and social competence, and these will be specially highlighted in future in the company`s new web presence.
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