Once called the "industry of death" and shunned by young job seekers, the defense industry is emerging as a new place of employment for European youth. As the hiring market freezes amid an economic downturn, defense contractors are instead moving to hire aggressively. Since the war in Ukraine, European countries have sped up rearmament, sharply increasing labor demand, and competition to secure talent in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), software, and cybersecurity is intensifying.
The French daily Le Monde reported on the 16th (local time), citing analysis by the job platform Indeed, that the number of job postings by major European defense corporations has risen 55% this year compared with 2021. Over the same period, job postings in Europe's overall labor market fell 13%. While corporations cut hiring due to the slowdown, only the defense industry is moving in the opposite direction.
Indeed said that an analysis of job postings from 25 European corporations among the world's top 100 defense corporations selected by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) found that, as of January–March this year, the volume of postings by these corporations was 36% higher than the 2021 average. Those surveyed included Airbus, Dassault Aviation, Thales, Safran, MBDA, and Naval Group.
The war in Ukraine is behind this change. After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, European countries began to shift their defense policy direction for the first time in decades. Germany declared a "Zeitenwende," moving to sharply increase its defense budget, and France, Poland, the United Kingdom, and others are also accelerating weapons production and military modernization. As they rebuild defense industrial capacity that had shrunk since the end of the Cold War, large-scale labor demand has emerged.
The profile of talent sought by defense corporations is also changing. In the past, mechanical, aerospace, and electronics engineers were central; recently, demand has been rising quickly for software developers, data specialists, and cybersecurity staff.
According to Indeed's analysis, the most in-demand roles now are in production, machinery, and technical fields (14.6%) and in software development (14.7%). Developers outpaced engineers (11.5%). Lisa Feist, an economist at Indeed, said, "As the digitalization of the shop floor advances, the line between engineering and IT is increasingly blurring."
Particularly notable is the demand for software developers. As drones, artificial intelligence, satellite communications, and electronic warfare technology emerge as core capabilities of modern warfare, there is analysis that defense contractors are effectively transforming into high-tech corporations. In fact, major European defense corporations are ramping up investment in Autonomous Driving drones, AI-based surveillance systems, and cyber defense platform development.
Changing perceptions of the defense industry are also bolstering hiring. In the past, ethical resistance to weapons production often led young job seekers to avoid the sector. But since the war in Ukraine, the view has spread that the defense industry is not simply about making weapons but plays a role in safeguarding national security and democracy, shifting the mood. Feist said, "Since the outbreak of the war, job searches related to the defense industry have increased in several countries," adding, "In particular, in France it shows that the image of the defense industry is changing."
Rising economic uncertainty has also had an effect. While Europe's auto industry and manufacturing overall face restructuring pressure, the defense sector is maintaining steady growth based on long-term government contracts in each country. In fact, searches by French job seekers related to the defense industry have doubled over the past five years, while searches related to the auto industry have shown little change.
With European countries accelerating rearmament and security tensions with Russia expected to persist, labor demand in the defense industry is likely to continue for the time being. There is growing assessment that a sector once considered the domain of mechanical engineering students is transforming into a high-tech industry that now draws AI developers and software engineers.