Ground Handling Personnel Badly Wanted

The cargo and passenger businesses are thriving at German airports but growing personnel shortages in the field of ground handling services are becoming a major stumbling block, adversely influencing the daily performance. Since the labor market is practically empty some actors started recruiting campaigns in other EU countries to fill vocational gaps.

The personnel department of Rhine-Main operator Fraport is not to be envied. Their pressing task is to fill about 2,000 vacancies – the faster, the better. It’s mainly ground handling staff they are seeking, for passenger services, baggage handling or for driving vehicles within the security area of the airport.
Fraport’s problem: There are plenty of empty jobs but hardly anybody seeming to want them. This is not because the operator has a poor reputation or pays wages near minimum level. That’s not so! Fraport is the largest employer in the state of Hesse, the top tax payer, offering a wide variety of job opportunities and careers, enjoying an excellent standing. 

Tense labor market situation
However, there are far too few applicants looking for employment. “The local factor market is literally swept clean, particularly for semiskilled workers,” confirms Maria Linden, spokesperson for personnel matters at Fraport. This is explained when taking a look at the cost of living in and around Frankfurt, including housing, which is very high, thus hardly affordable for those who attained only lower educational levels and hence vocational qualification. 
Hit by the manpower shortage are also cargo handling agents, confirms managing director Patrik Tschirch of LUG aircargo handling GmbH. In addition to Frankfurt, LUG also runs stations at the airports of Munich and Hamburg where the situation is quite similar. “We expanded our business considerably last year by gaining Emirates SkyCargo and Etihad Cargo as new customers, so in our case the major recruitment drive is currently over,” he says. “Nonetheless, we still are in need for an additional workforce.”

Will applicants from other EU countries solve the problem?
To overcome the existing shortcomings, LUG started recruitment campaigns in Poland, where wages are significantly lower measured on German standards. However, applicants need to wait nearly six months in order to obtain permission to enter the airport security areas of Frankfurt or Munich, following thorough security checks by the local authorities.

Accommodation offers are in the basket
Fraport even goes a step further and will launch a recruitment initiative in Greece, Bulgaria and Croatia, where the operator runs a number of local airports. According to Frau Linden, job applicants should be willing to emigrate, moving from their EU home countries to Germany for good. “As a matter of fact, we are not interested in seasonal workers but offer suitable applicants in ground handling a long-term vocational perspective.” Required is basic knowledge of German and English, an official proof of good conduct and a valid driver’s license. Fraport even goes as far as offering accommodation for candidates and their families in the vicinity of the airport.
However, she emphasizes that her company’s main target group to fill the many vacancies are local German nationals together with immigrants that have been living in the country for a longer period of time. “It would be a major success if we succeed in filling five percent of the 2,000 vacancies with candidates coming from other EU countries,” she states.
The housing issue goes for Munich Airport as well, confirms head of cargo, Markus Heinelt, pointing at residential homes the operator is building. By offering this incentive, MUC hopes to overcome the current labor bottleneck.