Text: Thomas Masuch
Every year at Formnext, Samia Boutari can sense that the world of Additive Manufacturing is still attractive for young people. Here, the senior consultant and coach at the Cologne-based personnel and management consultancy proJob – which has been a cooperation partner of Formnext’s Career Day in Frankfurt for 10 years – experiences the entire spectrum of the personnel market.
The profiles of candidates interested in jobs in the world of Additive Manufacturing are very diverse. Younger people come to Formnext for career advice: a young man who has just graduated from high school and is looking for career guidance, for example, or a career changer who studied electrical engineering and now wants to know what qualifications they can use to enter the world of AM.
“On the other hand, as in other sectors, there are very well-trained candidates from countries such as Mexico or India who are interested in how they can gain a professional foothold in Germany,” explains Boutari. “It’s very interesting to see when these highly motivated people meet the less hungry younger generation in this country and compete with them.” In Boutari's experience, many graduates from German universities still approach the application process with a high sense of entitlement and demands and first ask what the general conditions are like in the company in question. However, this is slowly changing; companies still have to fill new positions, but not as many and not as urgently as two years ago. “There are also many highly motivated and excellent specialists in Germany, but the pressure from outside – meaning from highly motivated international applicants – is definitely increasing,” Boutari reports.
Despite all this, she still sees the AM world as an interesting market for committed candidates – including both those with relevant qualifications and those moving into a new field.
Fewer new hires
The HR experts at Alexander Daniels Global have also noticed a change in the job market in the AM sector. It relates to the development of available positions and salaries, both of which reflect the challenging market situation. According to the latest Salary Report from Alexander Daniels Global, the number of new hires in the AM industry has fallen significantly worldwide: by 14 percent in North America and by 21 percent in the EMEA region. At the same time, more and more employees in the AM world are open to new positions. “Nevertheless, the demand for certain qualifications remains high,” explains Sophie Pontoppidan, growth marketing manager at Alexander Daniels Global. In particular, qualified operators and technicians have good opportunities on the AM job market.
The Formnext Career Day will take place on Friday, 21 November 2025. Here, the HR experts from proJob will be available for consultations. Applicants can also have professional portrait photos taken free of charge. Throughout the year, companies have the opportunity to use the Formnext career portal to fill vacancies. Their job advertisements are also presented in printed form on the job wall at Formnext.
“Not a one-way street”
Nevertheless, companies still have to do a lot to attract good employees. “The whole issue of personnel is still not a one-way street,” explains Boutari. Formnext, which provides intensive support for recruiting young talent with its Career Day, is a very good opportunity for this. While some interested parties register four to six weeks before Formnext, many consultations are also arranged spontaneously at the trade fair. “When we start at 10:00 am on Career Day, all our slots for consultations are fully booked by 10:30 am,” Boutari reveals. The job wall, which features printed job advertisements, also continues to be a real crowd magnet at Formnext.
In addition, Formnext offers job-seekers a wide range of opportunities to make contacts outside of Career Day, as many companies would be delighted to hear of any interest. “You don't necessarily have to focus on the market leaders,” Boutari points out. “It's also worth looking at smaller companies, even if they don't have any vacancies advertised.” However, it is important to present yourself appropriately as a student or young professional; that includes suitable clothing, a CV in your pocket, and a list of companies you want to get to know.
Employer branding at the trade fair
Boutari has found that not all companies take advantage of the opportunity to recruit staff at trade fairs. "Even if companies are primarily thinking about business and sales at these events, every trade fair appearance is always a kind of employer branding. Unfortunately, this awareness is often lacking." As a result, candidates looking for a job are often turned away at trade fair booths and advised to use the company website for applications. “This even happens with companies that are actively looking for staff,” says Boutari.
She sees the reason for this in the fact that the typical trade fair booth is largely staffed by sales people whose main interest is in generating leads. The problem could be solved quite easily without having to have a member of HR staff at the booth all day. “You could reserve two slots at the Formnext Career Day in particular, where a recruiter is connected via an online meeting.” A suitably trained host would also be capable of taking down information, answering a few questions, and thus helping their company make a good impression.
Two years ago at Formnext, Boutari experienced just how important this impression is and that it can ultimately be relevant for business. “A medical doctor from Italy came to us who was interested in an AM system, but also wanted to find out whether he might be able to make a career change,” she recalls. However, the doctor made the “mistake” of first approaching the booth of a printer manufacturer to discuss careers, whereupon he was turned away with a reference to the company website. As a result, he never even asked about a possible printer purchase – but did inquire with a different company.
Further information:
A detailed interview with Sophie Pontoppidan, growth marketing manager at Alexander Daniels Global, on the current personnel trends in Additive Manufacturing can be found here.