Latest news with #EuropeanDefenceAgency
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Defence sector outpaces overall job market in Europe amid rising security priorities
EU member states increased their total defence spending by over 30% between 2021 and 2024, rising from €214 billion to an estimated €326 billion, according to the European Defence Agency. Europe's defence industry is also facing growing labour needs, leading to a rise in job postings. Hiring has increased sharply across Europe's defence sector compared to the broader job market, according to global hiring platform Indeed. Defence-related job postings have outpaced overall market trends since 2022. France, Germany, and the UK remain the main hubs for defence recruitment. Security has long been a key priority for Europe, but it has taken on greater importance since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. More recently, tensions have also escalated in the Middle East due to the conflict involving Israel and Iran. Job postings data suggests that all have an impact on Europe's defence industry, according to Indeed. Following a pandemic-driven decline in 2020, job postings in both the defence sector and the overall labour market initially recovered at a similar pace. However, their paths diverged sharply beginning in early 2022, around the time of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February. Overall job postings peaked in July 2022 at 46% above their 2021 average. The index used for this data sets 2021 average monthly postings at 100. Since that peak, overall postings have declined. In contrast, defence-related postings continued to rise, reaching twice their 2021 average by November 2022, when the index peaked at 201. Although postings in the defence sector have eased somewhat since then, they remained 41% above 2021 levels as of May 2025. The broader job market, by comparison, has dipped slightly below its 2021 benchmark, standing at 99.5 index points. The companies included in the analysis are mostly private-sector employers. Roles within the armed forces are not considered. 'Jobseeker interest in the defence sector has increased since the outbreak of the war, particularly in Germany, where search activity spiked in early 2022 and has remained elevated,' Virginia Sondergeld, economist at Indeed Hiring Lab, told Euronews Business. 'This illustrates how geopolitical events can shape public perception of the sector and potentially attract new talent.' She noted that sustaining and expanding a skilled workforce in defence requires long-term public investment. 'If such funding continues, the sector could experience a structural rise in its relevance within the labour market,' she added. Related GenAI job postings rise across Europe: Which countries lead the way? Everyone, including Spain, should reach 5% defence spending, Estonia's prime minister tells Euronews France accounts for the largest share of European job postings from major defence companies, with about 43% as of May 2025. This is down from 57% in early 2020. Germany and the UK each make up 17% of postings. The share from other European countries has grown from 7% to 23% in this period. This is 'reflecting geographical diversification of defence investment and hiring' according to Indeed economist Alexandre Judes and Virginia Sondergeld. France, Germany, and the UK each have large and specialised defence industries. Judes and Sondergeld explained that France aims for full-spectrum autonomy through companies like Dassault, Thales, and Safran. Germany, home to Rheinmetall and Hensoldt, plays a key role in NATO's future land systems and the UK has a strong presence in naval and aerospace platforms through BAE Systems. As these firms expand production and innovation, demand for skilled talent in software, engineering, and manufacturing continues to grow. Several major European defence firms operate across borders. Companies like Airbus Defence and Space, MBDA, and KNDS lead joint European programmes in aerospace, missile systems, and armoured vehicles. In the UK, jobseeker interest in defence rose slightly after the Ukraine war began in 2022 but has stayed mostly flat since. In contrast, interest has grown in France and Germany. 'In the UK, the defence sector was already relatively large, and policy changes were more incremental, attracting less public attention and likely resulting in smaller shifts in jobseeker perception,' Virginia Sondergeld said. In France, defence-related searches reached 0.18% in April 2025, up from 0.08% in 2021. Germany saw the sharpest early increase. The share of searches jumped from 0.026% in January 2022 to 0.084% in March 2022 and has stayed high. Despite these changes, Indeed economists point out that defence remains a niche field. Even in countries with rising interest, defence-related searches still make up a small share of total job searches. Related Highest-paying jobs in Germany: Official data and job postings reveal top salaries Who earns the most in France? Official stats and job listings reveal best-paying jobs Software development leads in the UK, making up 14.5% of total job postings by major European defence companies. Its share is 11.9% in France and 10.2% in Germany. In France, industrial engineering ranks highest, accounting for 19% of postings. Engineering, manufacturing, and management roles are also key across defence firms. Sondergeld said that current market conditions may favour defence recruiters as postings in traditional tech roles have declined sharply across Europe in recent years. Dr. Calle Håkansson, a researcher at the Swedish Defence Research Agency, explained that the increase in defence job postings and hiring is clearly linked to rise in defence spending across Europe. Defence companies—from major prime contractors to smaller subcontractors— need to recruit more personnel to meet growing demand in light of the deteriorating security situation in Europe and globally. He pointed out that global military expenditure has actually seen its steepest rise since the end of the Cold War according to recent figures from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). 'This development is clearly impacting the defence industry across Europe, with steadily growing order books and increased demand for production capacity which consequently affects hirings within the sector,' Håkansson told Euronews Business. He stated that growing security concerns in Europe have increased interest in careers within the defence sector. 'For example, in Sweden, the defence company Saab has recently become one of the most attractive employers among newly graduated engineers,' he added. Dr. Caroline Batka, senior military analyst at Comenius University, emphasised that Europe's defence industry is expanding as NATO has proposed raising defence spending to above 2% of GDP.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Defence sector outpaces overall job market in Europe amid rising security priorities
EU member states increased their total defence spending by over 30% between 2021 and 2024, rising from €214 billion to an estimated €326 billion, according to the European Defence Agency. Europe's defence industry is also facing growing labour needs, leading to a rise in job postings. Hiring has increased sharply across Europe's defence sector compared to the broader job market, according to global hiring platform Indeed. Defence-related job postings have outpaced overall market trends since 2022. France, Germany, and the UK remain the main hubs for defence recruitment. Security has long been a key priority for Europe, but it has taken on greater importance since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. More recently, tensions have also escalated in the Middle East due to the conflict involving Israel and Iran. Job postings data suggests that all have an impact on Europe's defence industry, according to Indeed. Following a pandemic-driven decline in 2020, job postings in both the defence sector and the overall labour market initially recovered at a similar pace. However, their paths diverged sharply beginning in early 2022, around the time of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February. Overall job postings peaked in July 2022 at 46% above their 2021 average. The index used for this data sets 2021 average monthly postings at 100. Since that peak, overall postings have declined. In contrast, defence-related postings continued to rise, reaching twice their 2021 average by November 2022, when the index peaked at 201. Although postings in the defence sector have eased somewhat since then, they remained 41% above 2021 levels as of May 2025. The broader job market, by comparison, has dipped slightly below its 2021 benchmark, standing at 99.5 index points. The companies included in the analysis are mostly private-sector employers. Roles within the armed forces are not considered. 'Jobseeker interest in the defence sector has increased since the outbreak of the war, particularly in Germany, where search activity spiked in early 2022 and has remained elevated,' Virginia Sondergeld, economist at Indeed Hiring Lab, told Euronews Business. 'This illustrates how geopolitical events can shape public perception of the sector and potentially attract new talent.' She noted that sustaining and expanding a skilled workforce in defence requires long-term public investment. 'If such funding continues, the sector could experience a structural rise in its relevance within the labour market,' she added. Related GenAI job postings rise across Europe: Which countries lead the way? Everyone, including Spain, should reach 5% defence spending, Estonia's prime minister tells Euronews France accounts for the largest share of European job postings from major defence companies, with about 43% as of May 2025. This is down from 57% in early 2020. Germany and the UK each make up 17% of postings. The share from other European countries has grown from 7% to 23% in this period. This is 'reflecting geographical diversification of defence investment and hiring' according to Indeed economist Alexandre Judes and Virginia Sondergeld. France, Germany, and the UK each have large and specialised defence industries. Judes and Sondergeld explained that France aims for full-spectrum autonomy through companies like Dassault, Thales, and Safran. Germany, home to Rheinmetall and Hensoldt, plays a key role in NATO's future land systems and the UK has a strong presence in naval and aerospace platforms through BAE Systems. As these firms expand production and innovation, demand for skilled talent in software, engineering, and manufacturing continues to grow. Several major European defence firms operate across borders. Companies like Airbus Defence and Space, MBDA, and KNDS lead joint European programmes in aerospace, missile systems, and armoured vehicles. In the UK, jobseeker interest in defence rose slightly after the Ukraine war began in 2022 but has stayed mostly flat since. In contrast, interest has grown in France and Germany. 'In the UK, the defence sector was already relatively large, and policy changes were more incremental, attracting less public attention and likely resulting in smaller shifts in jobseeker perception,' Virginia Sondergeld said. In France, defence-related searches reached 0.18% in April 2025, up from 0.08% in 2021. Germany saw the sharpest early increase. The share of searches jumped from 0.026% in January 2022 to 0.084% in March 2022 and has stayed high. Despite these changes, Indeed economists point out that defence remains a niche field. Even in countries with rising interest, defence-related searches still make up a small share of total job searches. Related Highest-paying jobs in Germany: Official data and job postings reveal top salaries Who earns the most in France? Official stats and job listings reveal best-paying jobs Software development leads in the UK, making up 14.5% of total job postings by major European defence companies. Its share is 11.9% in France and 10.2% in Germany. In France, industrial engineering ranks highest, accounting for 19% of postings. Engineering, manufacturing, and management roles are also key across defence firms. Sondergeld said that current market conditions may favour defence recruiters as postings in traditional tech roles have declined sharply across Europe in recent years. Dr. Calle Håkansson, a researcher at the Swedish Defence Research Agency, explained that the increase in defence job postings and hiring is clearly linked to rise in defence spending across Europe. Defence companies—from major prime contractors to smaller subcontractors— need to recruit more personnel to meet growing demand in light of the deteriorating security situation in Europe and globally. He pointed out that global military expenditure has actually seen its steepest rise since the end of the Cold War according to recent figures from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). 'This development is clearly impacting the defence industry across Europe, with steadily growing order books and increased demand for production capacity which consequently affects hirings within the sector,' Håkansson told Euronews Business. He stated that growing security concerns in Europe have increased interest in careers within the defence sector. 'For example, in Sweden, the defence company Saab has recently become one of the most attractive employers among newly graduated engineers,' he added. Dr. Caroline Batka, senior military analyst at Comenius University, emphasised that Europe's defence industry is expanding as NATO has proposed raising defence spending to above 2% of GDP. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data
Euronews
30-06-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Defence recruitment rises faster than overall job market in Europe
EU member states increased their total defence spending by over 30% between 2021 and 2024, rising from €214 billion to an estimated €326 billion, according to the European Defence Agency. Europe's defence industry is also facing growing labour needs, leading to a rise in job postings. Hiring has increased sharply across Europe's defence sector compared to the broader job market, according to global hiring platform Indeed. Defence-related job postings have outpaced overall market trends since 2022. France, Germany, and the UK remain the main hubs for defence recruitment. Security has long been a key priority for Europe, but it has taken on greater importance since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. More recently, tensions have also escalated in the Middle East due to the conflict involving Israel and Iran. Job postings data suggests that all have an impact on Europe's defence industry, according to Indeed. Following a pandemic-driven decline in 2020, job postings in both the defence sector and the overall labour market initially recovered at a similar pace. However, their paths diverged sharply beginning in early 2022, around the time of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February. Overall job postings peaked in July 2022 at 46% above their 2021 average. The index used for this data sets 2021 average monthly postings at 100. Since that peak, overall postings have declined. In contrast, defence-related postings continued to rise, reaching twice their 2021 average by November 2022, when the index peaked at 201. Although postings in the defence sector have eased somewhat since then, they remained 41% above 2021 levels as of May 2025. The broader job market, by comparison, has dipped slightly below its 2021 benchmark, standing at 99.5 index points. The companies included in the analysis are mostly private-sector employers. Roles within the armed forces are not considered. 'Jobseeker interest in the defence sector has increased since the outbreak of the war, particularly in Germany, where search activity spiked in early 2022 and has remained elevated,' Virginia Sondergeld, economist at Indeed Hiring Lab, told Euronews Business. 'This illustrates how geopolitical events can shape public perception of the sector and potentially attract new talent.' She noted that sustaining and expanding a skilled workforce in defence requires long-term public investment. 'If such funding continues, the sector could experience a structural rise in its relevance within the labour market,' she added. France dominates defence job postings in Europe France accounts for the largest share of European job postings from major defence companies, with about 43% as of May 2025. This is down from 57% in early 2020. Germany and the UK each make up 17% of postings. The share from other European countries has grown from 7% to 23% in this period. This is 'reflecting geographical diversification of defence investment and hiring' according to Indeed economist Alexandre Judes and Virginia Sondergeld. France, Germany, and the UK each have large and specialised defence industries. Judes and Sondergeld explained that France aims for full-spectrum autonomy through companies like Dassault, Thales, and Safran. Germany, home to Rheinmetall and Hensoldt, plays a key role in NATO's future land systems and the UK has a strong presence in naval and aerospace platforms through BAE Systems. As these firms expand production and innovation, demand for skilled talent in software, engineering, and manufacturing continues to grow. Several major European defence firms operate across borders. Companies like Airbus Defence and Space, MBDA, and KNDS lead joint European programmes in aerospace, missile systems, and armoured vehicles. In the UK, jobseeker interest in defence rose slightly after the Ukraine war began in 2022 but has stayed mostly flat since. In contrast, interest has grown in France and Germany. 'In the UK, the defence sector was already relatively large, and policy changes were more incremental, attracting less public attention and likely resulting in smaller shifts in jobseeker perception,' Virginia Sondergeld said. In France, defence-related searches reached 0.18% in April 2025, up from 0.08% in 2021. Germany saw the sharpest early increase. The share of searches jumped from 0.026% in January 2022 to 0.084% in March 2022 and has stayed high. Despite these changes, Indeed economists point out that defence remains a niche field. Even in countries with rising interest, defence-related searches still make up a small share of total job searches. Software development and engineering lead in defence hiring Software development leads in the UK, making up 14.5% of total job postings by major European defence companies. Its share is 11.9% in France and 10.2% in Germany. In France, industrial engineering ranks highest, accounting for 19% of postings. Engineering, manufacturing, and management roles are also key across defence firms. Sondergeld said that current market conditions may favour defence recruiters as postings in traditional tech roles have declined sharply across Europe in recent years. Role of rise in defence spending Dr. Calle Håkansson, a researcher at the Swedish Defence Research Agency, explained that the increase in defence job postings and hiring is clearly linked to rise in defence spending across Europe. Defence companies—from major prime contractors to smaller subcontractors— need to recruit more personnel to meet growing demand in light of the deteriorating security situation in Europe and globally. He pointed out that global military expenditure has actually seen its steepest rise since the end of the Cold War according to recent figures from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). 'This development is clearly impacting the defence industry across Europe, with steadily growing order books and increased demand for production capacity which consequently affects hirings within the sector,' Håkansson told Euronews Business. He stated that growing security concerns in Europe have increased interest in careers within the defence sector. 'For example, in Sweden, the defence company Saab has recently become one of the most attractive employers among newly graduated engineers,' he added. Dr. Caroline Batka, senior military analyst at Comenius University, emphasised that Europe's defence industry is expanding as NATO has proposed raising defence spending to above 2% of GDP.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dutch NATO math portends uphill battle for Europe on defense spending
PARIS — The Netherlands worked out the costs of meeting NATO's new capability targets, providing a taste of the billion-euro budget challenge European members of the alliance face to boost their military posture in the face of a more aggressive Russia. The Dutch calculate that meeting their share of the targets will cost at least €16 billion to €19 billion ($18 billion-$21 billion) a year on top of the existing defense budget, Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans told parliament in a letter last week. That would amount to about 3.5% of GDP, from 2% now – conveniently also the core defense spending target that NATO leadership is calling for. NATO's Capability Targets 2025, to be formally set at a summit in The Hague in June, will significantly increase the requirements compared to previous targets, according to the Dutch. The CT25 focus will be on ground-based air and missile defense, ground-based fire support, land maneuver units and joint enablers, Brekelmans said. For the larger economies of Germany, France and the U.K., meeting the new targets means 'we're no longer talking about a few billion extra per year, but tens of billions,' said Dick Zandee, senior research fellow at Dutch think tank Clingendael Institute and former head of planning at the European Defence Agency. The three countries have the biggest defense budgets of European NATO members, spending a little over 2% of GDP on their military. The Netherlands is Europe's sixth-biggest spender, lifting its 2025 defense budget to €22 billion euros from €21.4 billion last year. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded NATO countries increase military spending to 5% of GDP, threatening to pull out of the alliance if members don't pay up. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said this week he expects alliance members to agree to a 5% spending target in The Hague, with a proposal for 3.5% of GDP for direct military spending and another 1.5% for related spending such as infrastructure and cybersecurity. The Netherlands also estimates meeting the new NATO capability targets will require 17,000 to 18,000 more personnel. While the 32-nation alliance typically keeps the capability targets secret, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation Adm. Pierre Vandier said in March the alliance will ask members to raise military capability targets by 30% – even with allies already 30% behind on delivering on existing goals. The Dutch say the NATO 'standard path' to fully meet the capability targets has been 19 years, but current threats make a faster build-up necessary, and NATO expects 'a significant part will already be built up in the coming years.' Brekelmans says around €9 billion to €10 billion of the calculated costs and 8,500 to 9,000 of the personnel count are attributable to the Netherlands not yet having fully met NATO's 2021 capability targets. While NATO defense planning is based on the principle that all the capabilities are realized, 'in practice of course, that is never achieved,' Zandee said. Neighboring Germany and Belgium have similar issues as the Netherlands of having to play catch up with the 2021 targets, with personnel shortages partially explaining the shortcomings, he said. 'All countries are coming out of roughly two decades of severe budget cuts, all countries to a varying degree donated to Ukraine, reducing stocks and supplies,' Zandee said. 'The Netherlands is not really in a unique position in this regard.' The calculations by Brekelmans exclude the costs of host nation support, with Dutch responsibility within the alliance for large-scale transfer of military equipment, as well as homeland defense and military activities outside the NATO treaty area, such as the Caribbean Netherlands. That means total defense costs would exceed 3.5% of GDP, according to Brekelmans. The Netherlands has typically been transparent about the costs of NATO targets, according to Zandee. Publishing the figures serves a political purpose in trying to muster broad parliamentary and coalition-government support for a bigger defense budget, a politically sensitive issue in the country, and gain popular support for more spending, he said. Spending 3.5% of GDP on core defense is achievable for a country like the Netherlands with healthy public finances, and also quite doable for Scandinavian countries, Zandee said. For countries in southern Europe with high debt levels 'it does become a big problem,' for example in France, where more defense spending will mean more borrowing. Italy, Spain and Belgium, among the NATO members that spend the least on defense relative to their economy, all have government debt to GDP ratios above 100%. Greece and France, the other European Union countries in NATO whose debt exceeds GDP, have historically been bigger military spenders. By contrast, the Netherlands had a debt to GDP ratio of 43.3% at the end of 2024, while for Germany the ratio was 62.5%. Zandee expects Germany under new Chancellor Friedrich Merz will agree to the 3.5% target, the British as loyal allies will commit despite 'major financial problems,' while the Netherlands will ultimately also go along. 'The problem mainly starts in Belgium and then further south,' Zandee said. 'The French will simply take the budgetary risk, because they are not going to back down. But the Italians and the Spanish in particular will have to perform some fancy maneuvering.' Some countries are already well on their way to meeting the NATO target. Estonia announced in April that it would increase defense spending to 5.4% of GDP already in 2026 and through to 2029, for an additional €2.8 billion of additional budget over four years, with the government saying spending would take into account the NATO capability targets. Meanwhile, Denmark said in February it will spend an additional 50 billion Danish kroner (US$7.6 billion) in 2025 and 2026 to strengthen its armed forces in the short term, also with a view to NATO demands and capability targets, lifting defense spending to above 3% of GDP. Poland is the only NATO country that has already met the new target, spending 4.1% of GDP on defense in 2024, for total spending of around $35 billion. Some countries may agree to 3.5% of core defense spending in The Hague with no intention of ever reaching the target, to keep NATO alive, even if they won't say so publicly, Zandee said. He said the same happened with the 2% spending target agreed in Wales in 2014. 'When it comes to the survival of the alliance and keeping the Americans in, I think even those countries will simply agree to it,' Zandee said. 'That 3.5% is almost a done deal. If Trump can wave that one piece of paper and say, 'I've achieved all this,' then the NATO summit will have been a success, it's as simple as that.'
Extra.ie
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Popular RTE programme set to disappear from screens within days amid summer schedule shake-up
RTE fans are in for a seasonal shake-up as popular daytime programme 'Today' prepares to go off-air for the summer. The long-running afternoon chat show, fronted by Maura Derrane, Dáithí Ó Sé, and Sinéad Kennedy, has been a weekday staple from 3:30pm to 5:40pm, entertaining viewers for the past nine months. Dáithí Ó Sé and Maura Derrane. Pic: Gerard McCarthy Dáithí co-hosts alongside Sinéad on Mondays and Tuesdays, before teaming up with Maura from Wednesday to Friday. However, the current season will wrap up on Friday, May 30, as the team signs off for their traditional summer hiatus. Sinéad Kennedy confirmed the season's end via Instagram, revealing it was the 'second last week of the season.' She thanked the production team, saying: 'Thanks as ever to the wonderful team I work with week in and week out.' Sinéad returned to the show last September following maternity leave after welcoming her second child, Theo, with husband Conor Kirwan. The couple, who also share a four-year-old daughter, Indie, spent time in Belgium during her leave, where Conor is based with the European Defence Agency. The show is set to return in September as part of RTE's autumn schedule. RTE's shake-up doesn't stop with 'Today'. The Late Late Show also ended its current run earlier this month, with host Patrick Kielty wrapping up his second season on Friday, May 9. The comedian from Co. Down, who took over the reins from Ryan Tubridy and signed a three-season deal, thanked viewers for their support as he now takes a break until September 2025. The Late Late Show host Patrick Kielty. Pic: Andres Poveda His final episode featured memorable guests including RTE broadcaster Joe Duffy, who discussed his upcoming retirement, singer Nadine Coyle of Girls Aloud, and NFL legend Tom Brady. To fill the Friday night slot during the break, RTE will air a selection of films at 9:35pm, offering a lighter summer lineup in place of The Late Late Show.
