Foreword

Dear readers,

the labor market remains in motion this year as well. On the one hand, it is marked by the economic downturn and job cuts in key industries. Nevertheless, shortages persist; in some professions they have even continued to grow. One example is professional drivers, who were the focus of one of our in-depth analyses.

At the same time, artificial intelligence is already changing work in many areas today. Interestingly, the corresponding skills still rarely appear as a requirement in job advertisements, as our analysis has shown. This is even the case in office professions, where AI will undoubtedly change many processes. We can only speculate as to exactly why this is, because the demand for people who can handle AI-based solutions responsibly is certainly there. Presumably, the need for these skills often grows faster than the formal description of requirement profiles.

One thing is clear: personnel development must also adapt to the increasing spread of AI in business processes. Employers should not treat AI as a purely technological issue. As a foundation, an open attitude and employees who understand how AI affects processes, their own work, and the handling of data are initially more important than pure product know-how. Only then can employees integrate AI into their tasks and processes safely, responsibly, and effectively.

In this year's excursus, we look at the changed conditions in the defense industry – a sector that has only recently entered the awareness of the public and of skilled professionals. We surveyed three experts from companies about how they are dealing with the new challenges in their personnel strategy. My heartfelt thanks here for these interesting insights.

I wish you all an interesting read!

Katrin Haupt, CEO, DEKRA Akademie