Airbus Wants To Hire 1,000+ More Employees In The UK

Airbus has announced that it plans to create over 1,000 new jobs in the UK as it expands across a wide range of aerospace-related activities.

Airbus to create more UK jobs

Airbus has announced its plans to hire an additional 1,100 people in the UK over the coming years. The positions to be created will cover a wide range of the company’s activities, with the new posts to include cyber security and software engineers, project and program managers, and other engineering positions in cryogenics, manufacturing, and robotics.

The announcement comes following the publication of the Airbus/Oxford Economics survey report released today, which shows the aerospace and defense giant’s economic contribution to the UK.

Photo: Airbus

The report focuses on the details behind Airbus’ impact across various areas such as jobs, investment, research & development (R&D), supply chain, and sovereign capability. It also highlights the critical point that Airbus remains a vital component of the UK’s broader industrial manufacturing capabilities, supporting economic performance on a national level.

The headline figures revealed in the report show that Airbus contributes the following to the UK economy through its ownership or involvement in the wider UK aerospace industry –

• 79,000 jobs supported across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland;
• 50% of Airbus’ UK suppliers are closed as SMEs (small and medium scale enterprises);
• £7 billion ($875 bn) contribution to UK Gross Domestic Product annually; and
• £3.9 billion ($4.88 bn) procurement spend in the UK annually

More about the Airbus survey

With more than 25 sites spread across the UK, Airbus is the largest civil aerospace company in the country. It is also the biggest civil aerospace exporter, the largest space satellite company, and the biggest supplier of large aircraft to the Royal Air Force. Additionally, it is responsible for around 50% of the UK’s civil helicopter fleet.

The latest Oxford Economics survey shines a spotlight on Airbus’ overall contribution to the UK and its role in supporting direct and indirect employment across the broader aerospace and defense industry.

Photo: Airbus

Assessing Airbus’ massive impact in areas such as jobs, investment, research & development, supply chain, and sovereign capability, the survey highlights that Airbus remains a key component of the UK’s wider industrial manufacturing capabilities, supporting nationwide economic performance.

Commenting on the survey, John Harrison, General Counsel and UK Chairman of Airbus, said,

“These findings clearly show that Airbus is good for jobs, good for growth, and good for the UK. I am proud of the contribution our 11,500 UK employees make to the UK economy – a multi-billion pound effort from satellites to civil aerospace that helps connect people all over the world. Our deep roots in the UK supply chain and investment across the four nations create long-term regional and local growth – ensuring Airbus’ impact is felt at every level.”

Mr Harrison continued,

“But the work does not stop here – our continued investment in R&D, a total of £277m in 2022 alone, is helping to find tangible solutions to the key challenges that affect our world today – from climate change to conflict.”

Airbus in the UK

As one of the leading employers in the UK, Airbus directly employs nearly 12,000 people across its Commercial, Defence, and Space and Helicopters divisions and expects to hire a further 1,100 across the UK in the coming years.

In addition to its core employment workforce, Airbus supports a further 68,000 jobs across sectors such as transport equipment manufacturing, business services, wholesale and retail. A key figure of special mention is that last year (2022), one in every 420 jobs in the UK was directly attributable to Airbus’ activities.

Photo: Justin Hayward / Simple Flying

Of note is that the report reveals that Airbus has more than double the national industry average for graduates and apprentices (5.3%), representing 11% of its total workforce. This is significant as it indicates that the company is planning for the future at a grassroots level and investing in apprentices now so that they can become leaders tomorrow.

Airbus remains committed to huge UK investment

Recognizing the need to invest in people, infrastructure, and R&D constantly, Airbus continues to invest in the UK. The company describes its UK investment strategy as “aiming to provide the UK with the skills, technological foresight, and sovereign capability required to support the UK’s evolution and future generations.”

In 2022 alone, Airbus spent £3.9 billion ($4.88 bn) with UK suppliers, while 33% of Airbus’ procurement spending in 2022 was in the 10% of highest priority for local authorities for economic growth and recovery.

Photo: Airbus

Meanwhile, according to the Oxford Economic Report, 19% of Airbus’ procurement spending in 2022 was in the 10% of local authorities with the lowest business survival rates, while the average wage paid by Airbus was 1.5 times the national average.

Regarding R&D, Airbus is committed to supporting the UK Government’s ambition to become a so-called ‘science and technology superpower.’ The company spent nearly £277 million ($346 mn) on R&D in 2022.

Photo: yiannisscheidt / Shutterstock

This investment figure represents 5.0% of Airbus’ revenues in 2022 and an approximately 8% increase in R&D investment compared to 2020 (£235 mn/$294mn).

In summary

The report published today offers a real insight into just how impactful the presence of Airbus is in the UK economy and how valuable its activities have become.

With spending across its commercial aircraft, defense, military aircraft, and helicopter divisions at record levels, along with these new positions being created by its UK businesses, Airbus continues to display its commitment to the UK and how it will remain a significant player in the UK economy for many years to come.