Thales, a French defence and aerospace giant, aims to recruit more than 9,000 new employees worldwide in 2026. They have reportedly offered 30 in Saudi Arabia and 60 roles in the UAE. The company targets to increase its hiring rate by 2026. Here’s a detailed look at what employment plans Thales is bringing to you.
The global hiring rise comes after the recruitment of 8,800 employees in 2025. The French defence company had an original target of 8,000 new hires. Now it aims to increase this number and strengthen the workforce. By next year, the company plans to bring about 150 jobs across Africa and the Middle East. The company also aims to recruit 450 workers in India.
In 2024, Thales employed more than 83,000 people in 68 countries. The high hiring rate helped generate around €20.6 billion in sales that year alone. The company further aims to strengthen diversity.
Thales said it received 1.4 million applications worldwide in 2025. They had initially received one million CVs in 2024. Additionally, Thales ranked first among the most attractive employers for engineering school students in France in Universum's recruitment advisory ranking.
So what are the new job roles offered by Thales? Given below are the key sectors that the company aims to onboard employees for:
Around 40 per cent of new hires in 2026 will include engineering roles. This involves data science, data engineering, systems engineering, software development, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
Around 25 per cent will be recruited for the industrial positions. This includes operators, technicians, and engineers.
In France alone, the company plans to hire 3,300 people across several regions. Furthermore, “Together, we are shaping the future by inspiring an increasing number of young people, especially young women, to pursue careers in science and technology,” Patrice Caine, CEO of Thales, explained.
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