The “Aging Workforce” initiative
Current demographic developments present strategic challenges for the Group’s human resources management system. A shifting age structure and the German government’s raising of the retirement age to 67 will increase the average age of the Daimler workforce over the next 10 years from 42 to approximately 47. The elimination of government subsidies for part-time work by employees approaching retirement will reduce the opportunities for such part-time employment. Another challenge associated with demographic developments is the declining number of skilled potential employees in Germany. Daimler is relying on two proven packages of measures to address these issues: One of these involves furthering the performance capabilities of our employees, no matter what their age, while the other aims to safeguard the knowledge possessed by the entire workforce (see table below).
Beyond that, we also launched an HR Resource Management Project at several Group locations in 2007 in order to increase the transparency of our resources at the company and initiate the required developmental steps for improvement. At one organizational unit, the Group’s complete expertise and demographic distribution are registered and assessed. These factors are categorized in accordance with criteria such as the vehicle model mix or technological developments. This enables us to determine our recruiting and training requirements in a timely manner, and then act accordingly.
For example, at our Wörth pilot plant, we adjusted the number of professions for which training is offered – as well as the structure of the training programs themselves – in line with the strategic requirements of the future, and then initiated targeted measures for the further training of our existing workforce. We also ensured that skilled production workers were given permanent employment contracts, and that qualified production trainees were offered positions at the company once they completed their programs.
