Whether at the carmakers themselves, suppliers, or system providers: Costs are being cut everywhere in the automobile sector, reports consulting company Staufen. Their market analyses showed that this cost-cutting also extends to programs to enhance management culture. This is risky, since it is precisely here that new skills will be needed more than ever in the future. Instead, given the pressure on costs, the clear prioritization of tasks, the smoothing of processes, and an optimization of the supply chain are at the top of the agenda again. Yet, according to Dr. Thilo Greshake from Staufen, these jobs do not require the manger type ‘tough character’, but precisely the opposite. The consulting company believes that the automobile industry is also in the process of downshifting with respect to agility, although agile methods are particularly advantageous in the R&D sector.

These trends do not seem to have hit the recruitment market yet. As a survey of almost 8,000 young professionals by employer branding company Universum found, automotive manufacturers continue to dominate employer rankings. The reasons stated for this include attractive salaries and a high level of satisfaction with employers.