Recruiting for Lift-Off: Drone Manufacturers Face a Talent Bottleneck as Demand Surges

Employment in European aerospace and drone manufacturing rose by 4.8 per cent in the year to Q2 2025, yet vacancies continue to outpace hires.

Data from ADS Group and BDLI show a vacancy rate of 3.3 per cent, compared with the EU average of 2.1 per cent. In Germany, France, and Italy, drone-related production now accounts for nearly a quarter of all new aerospace roles.

The European Aerospace Cluster Partnership reports that recruitment cycles are extending as firms struggle to fill technical roles.

Defence spending and automation converge

Defence budgets among NATO’s European members have increased by nearly 8 per cent since 2022, with autonomous systems claiming a rising share. Simultaneously, Roland Berger’s Automation Index shows commercial robotics expanding by around 9.6 per cent annually, driving competition for engineers across industries.

This convergence has forced aerospace recruiters to compete directly with automotive, energy, and electronics firms for the same advanced skills. The result: escalating wage offers and longer hiring pipelines, particularly in propulsion, software integration, and sensor design.

Supply chains become the recruitment front line

According to PwC’s 2025 European Manufacturing Outlook, 63 per cent of aerospace companies report ongoing component shortages - especially in batteries, composites, and flight control electronics. As a result, recruitment has shifted towards logistics and procurement roles that can stabilise production.

Supply Chain Digital’s July analysis found that demand for in-house procurement engineers has risen by nearly 30 per cent year-on-year. The real bottleneck is no longer on the factory floor but in managing complexity upstream.

Certification and compliance expertise in short supply

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has streamlined certification procedures, reducing average review times by 22 per cent since 2023.

Yet this has inadvertently exposed a shortage of qualified certification engineers and compliance managers. TU Delft’s Aerospace Labour Observatory estimates that the EU needs 3,000 more specialists in airworthiness and safety oversight to meet regulatory demand.

As drone technology moves closer to civilian infrastructure, the intersection of legal and technical expertise has become its rarest resource.

Eastern Europe gains ground in aerospace employment

Oxford Economics’ European Industry Tracker shows Central and Eastern European states increasing their aerospace workforce by over 11 per cent since 2022. Poland, Romania, and the Czech Republic are drawing investment through tax incentives and lower production costs, shifting the balance of manufacturing away from traditional Western hubs.

This relocation has intensified competition for talent, prompting firms such as Leonardo and Airbus to launch cross-border mobility schemes to retain staff.

Consolidation reshapes Europe’s drone landscape

The Economist Intelligence Unit notes that Europe’s drone sector is entering a consolidation phase, with national procurement programmes merging with private innovation initiatives.

Larger players now dominate the value chain, prioritising systems integration and cybersecurity over pure mechanical design. Bloomberg Intelligence reports that 60 per cent of all aerospace job postings now require software or data analytics skills.

Recruiters who recognise that drone manufacturing is now a software-driven industry will define the next hiring wave; those who don’t will be left searching for roles that no longer exist.