Dubai-based aviation company Emirates Group plans to increase its workforce by 25 percent in one year to support its “next big growth trajectory”, a senior official told Moneycontrol.
The aviation major aims to hire over 5,000 cabin crew members adding to the current team of 22,700. Further, over the next three years, the group is looking to recruit more than 1,700 pilots.
“The Emirates Group is on its next big growth trajectory. This year, we will be taking delivery of 10 A350s and we’ve announced the initial network destinations for the aircraft. We have a total of 65 A350s on order. In the coming years, we will start taking delivery of the Boeing 777-Xs, of which we have 205 on order,” said Oliver Grohmann, executive vice president of human resources at Emirates Group.
However, the talent leader did not disclose the region-wise focus of the hiring plans.
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In 2023-24, the group collectively invested $ 2.4 billion in new aircraft, facilities, equipment, companies, and the latest technologies to support its growth plans. The total workforce grew by 10 percent to 112,406 employees, its largest size ever.
Concerning roles, the focus is on recruiting information technology (IT) specialists, aeronautical engineers, customer service agents and professional roles. The subsidiary, dnata, is also recruiting for roles in airport and cargo operations, catering, retail, and travel.
Currently, more than 700 job roles are advertised on Emirates’ careers website. It's important to note that Emirates Group received more than 3.4 million applications in the last 12 months, implying intense competition.
As technology reshapes the aviation industry, Grohmann said technical skills have become increasingly important across almost every role at Emirates. However, he added that the company places equal importance on soft skills.
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“Rather than merely ticking off a list of required skills, we seek employees eager to continue developing and learning,” he said. He added that over 5,000 employees engaged in workshops focused on professional and leadership skills – a 95 percent increase from the previous year.
Focus on diversity
Last year, Emirates Group established a ‘Gender Balance Council’ to represent the interests of female employees and create a platform for knowledge sharing. The council's initiatives include mentorship programmes, professional development workshops, and outreach events that advocate for women in the workforce.
In FY24, the percentage of women within the workforce increased to 43 percent from 41 percent in FY23. Of all new recruits, 56 percent were women and they also formed 55 percent of all promotions from middle to senior management.
Besides, Grohmann said women represented 26 percent of those undergoing leadership and management training.
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“We recently enhanced our maternity policy, including paid maternity, nursing, and parental leave provisions. Our women employees return to their jobs post-maternity leave in high numbers – 88 percent overall and 85 percent among cabin crew,” he added.
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