French defence group Thales goes on hiring spree as orders boom
CEO Patrice Caine says demand has surged across its product range as European states bolster defences and war rages in Ukraine
26 February 2023 - 21:01
byGV De Clercq
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Thales signage at a show in Paris, France. Picture: REUTERS/CHARLES PLATIAU
Paris — French defence and technology group Thales plans to hire 12,000 new staff this year as there is strong demand across its product range, CEO Patrice Caine said in an interview with French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche.
He said that over the past eight years Thales, which has total staff of 80,000 of which 40,000 in France, had recruited 5,000 to 8,000 people per year and that last year already it had hired 11,500 new staff. Caine expects to hire 12,000 new staff in 2023.
He said all the group’s activities — defence and security, aeronautics and space, identity and digital security — were growing strongly.
“The company is a reflection of its markets, which are all seeing dynamic growth, with needs growing in all our fields of activity,” he said.
Caine, who recently met Ukraine’s defence minister, said that France would deliver its Ground Master 200 radar air defence system to Ukraine in May.
Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 2022, shares of Thales — Europe’s largest weapons electronics provider — have risen nearly 60% to all-time highs, outperforming the Refinitiv Europe Aerospace & Defence index.
President Emmanuel Macron said in January that French military spending would increase by more than a third in the coming years, with the 2024-2030 military budget set to rise to €413bn, up from €295bn in the 2019-2025 period as the army adapts to a new security environment following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
French defence group Thales goes on hiring spree as orders boom
CEO Patrice Caine says demand has surged across its product range as European states bolster defences and war rages in Ukraine
Paris — French defence and technology group Thales plans to hire 12,000 new staff this year as there is strong demand across its product range, CEO Patrice Caine said in an interview with French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche.
He said that over the past eight years Thales, which has total staff of 80,000 of which 40,000 in France, had recruited 5,000 to 8,000 people per year and that last year already it had hired 11,500 new staff. Caine expects to hire 12,000 new staff in 2023.
He said all the group’s activities — defence and security, aeronautics and space, identity and digital security — were growing strongly.
“The company is a reflection of its markets, which are all seeing dynamic growth, with needs growing in all our fields of activity,” he said.
Caine, who recently met Ukraine’s defence minister, said that France would deliver its Ground Master 200 radar air defence system to Ukraine in May.
Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 2022, shares of Thales — Europe’s largest weapons electronics provider — have risen nearly 60% to all-time highs, outperforming the Refinitiv Europe Aerospace & Defence index.
President Emmanuel Macron said in January that French military spending would increase by more than a third in the coming years, with the 2024-2030 military budget set to rise to €413bn, up from €295bn in the 2019-2025 period as the army adapts to a new security environment following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Reuters
France sees artillery as priority for Ukraine
US and Germany to send tanks to help Ukraine repel Russia
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most Read
Related Articles
Resilient Russian banks rally after sanctions hit
TRISTEN TAYLOR: How to fix the SA defence sector: abolish it
Denel appoints ex-aeronautics head Michael Kgobe as new interim CEO
Denel’s battle for survival: company eyes tensions in Europe and elsewhere
Published by Arena Holdings and distributed with the Financial Mail on the last Thursday of every month except December and January.