Thales plans to hire over 9,000 employees worldwide in 2026

Global high-technology group Thales has announced plans to recruit more than 9,000 employees worldwide in 2026, reinforcing its sustained talent expansion across defence, aerospace, cybersecurity and digital businesses.

The hiring push follows a strong 2025 recruitment cycle in which the company onboarded 8,800 employees—surpassing its initial target of 8,000. Over the past five years, Thales has consistently hired at least 8,000 people annually to support the growth momentum of its three core business sectors.

Thales’ employer brand continues to gain traction globally. In 2025, the company received 1.4 million job applications, up from a record one million CVs in 2024. 

The latest Universum ranking also placed Thales first among the most attractive employers for engineering school students in France, improving from second place the previous year.

For 2026, recruitment will be spread across key global markets:

• France: nearly 3,300 hires

• United Kingdom: 800

• North America: 630

• Australia: 530

• Netherlands: 520

• India: 450

• Germany: 300

• Romania: 240

• Singapore: 200

• Poland: 140

Within France, the largest hiring volumes will be in Île-de-France (1,630 roles), followed by Brittany (290), Nouvelle-Aquitaine (280), Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (270), Occitanie (250), Centre-Val de Loire (220), Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (180) and Pays de la Loire (130).

Internal mobility and skills development

Alongside external hiring, Thales expects around 3,500 employees to benefit from internal mobility in 2026. The company’s “Learning Company” model, supported by more than 35 internal academies, will continue to focus on upskilling and capability development.

In France, the group reported an employment rate of over 7% for people with disabilities in 2025, underscoring its inclusion agenda.

Approximately 40% of new hires in 2026 will join engineering roles, including software and systems engineering, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and data. Another 25% will support industrial functions such as technicians, operators and engineers.

Thales is also intensifying efforts to nurture early-career talent. In France alone, the company plans to host 1,700 trainees and 1,600 apprentices in 2026, alongside 1,000 third-year and 500 second-year students. In 2025, apprentices and interns accounted for 15% of total recruitment in the country.

Through its “Vocation Makers” initiative, the group engages children aged 6–18 through school outreach and site visits. In 2025, Thales reached approximately 250,000 students worldwide.

The company has also launched the STEM for All programme with the French Academy of Technologies to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds. In its first year, 40 scholarships, each worth €5,000 plus one year of mentorship, were awarded in France and Belgium. The initiative will expand in 2026 to multiple countries including the Czech Republic, Poland, Greece, Romania, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Brazil and South Korea.

Patrice Caine, CEO of Thales, said the company is encouraged by its growing attractiveness as an employer, noting, "The talented individuals who join us are driven by a desire to contribute to the development of sovereign, innovative, and sustainable solutions that the world needs more than ever."