"We will continue to invest in staff at record levels in 2023, especially in the operational area. We need tens of thousands of new colleagues to meet the challenges facing the railways," said Martin Seiler, DB's Chief Human Resources Officer. He includes the improvement of operational quality as well as the general renovation of the infrastructure and the doubling of passenger numbers.
The recruitment target is "really challenging given the enormous shortage of skilled workers and the historically tight labor market," says Seiler. Although DB was also able to make around 28,000 recruitment commitments last year and create a net of around 5,000 jobs, it is by no means possible to rest on this success according to him.
Therefore in addition to measures to successfully recruit staff, employee retention is also becoming increasingly important, Martin Seiler explains: "We are doing everything we can to continue to have a satisfied workforce and a stable low turnover. For instance: DB now allows - where possible - up to 30 working days per year of mobile working in other European countries. There are also plans to improve shift systems and comeback programs for colleagues who have taken time off. Travel concessions, one of the most popular DB benefits, will also apply to non-spousal partners of employees from spring onwards. In addition, recruitment processes are to be shortened and more is to be invested in training and further education."
Of the more than 25,000 new hires this year, around 5,500 are apprentices and dual students, a new record. "DB is relying even more than before on its qualification. What the market doesn't have, we have to train ourselves," says Seiler.
