Germany's defence industry has been expanding rapidly over the past four years, as the country pours more money into rearmament. Data from five large players and four fast-growing startups show about 83,000 people working in defence divisions worldwide, up from 63,000 in 2021—a roughly 30% increase. This surge comes as Germany has signed well over €200 billion in arms contracts since 2022, with €83 billion in the previous year alone, and as Chancellor Merz loosens borrowing rules to sustain high defence spending. The trend mirrors a wider European shift toward stronger defence budgets amid concerns about Russia and shifting US commitment.
Leading the hiring spree are Airbus and Rheinmetall. Airbus's defence unit employs about 38,000 people worldwide (roughly half in Germany), making it the largest defence employer in the country, while Rheinmetall's defence workforce has risen from about 15,400 in 2021 to 23,500 today, with chief executive Armin Papperger predicting a total near 70,000 within three years. The growth is driven in part by a booming start-up scene—Helsing, a maker of armed drones, has expanded 18-fold, and Arx Robotics has hired several dozen staff from the car sector as defence projects rise. However, the data are incomplete—some major players declined to participate—and even with the surge, Germany's defence workforce remains far smaller than the roughly 700,000 people employed in the auto industry. While procurement accelerates and demand becomes clearer, experts warn that defence spending cannot fully offset auto-industry woes.
https://www.ft.com/content/6d2503cc-c7e8-4c2f-a6c5-07998e1d9b40
