CNES employees make careers within the company, a rarity these days. How do you explain this?
Liliane Sebas : This loyalty is part of CNES’s DNA. Unlike other companies, we have not experienced the phenomenon of the “great resignation”. Our employees have, on average, twenty years of seniority. On the one hand, because those who join us do so out of passion: CNES offers them the opportunity to work on exceptional projects in the space sector. Linked, for example, to the Ariane 6 launcher or major international programs.
On the other hand, they evolve in an engaging and caring professional environment. In Paris, Toulouse or Kourou, in Guyana, we ensure the development and professional growth of teams, in an environment conducive to quality of life at work. The human dimension is central for an establishment that produces expertise and whose projects are above all collaborative.
Should your establishment recruit despite this low turnover?
L. S. : Absolutely. We recruit between 120 and 150 people each year on private law contracts. The renewal of our age pyramid is crucial, especially since nearly half of our 2,450 employees are seniors. A real challenge in a space sector undergoing major transformation, with the emergence of start-ups and the growing importance of data technologies. These developments are accompanied by new expectations and a change in CNES’s positioning. Today, our role is more focused on advice and support than on technology as in the past.
Beyond our reputation and our good image among graduates of major engineering schools such as Supaéro or Supélec, we must attract new skills. Particularly in the field of IT, where competition is very strong between employers in France and internationally.
How to attract the best talent and develop your employer brand?
L. S. : Communication with young people has always been at the heart of our recruitment strategy. To encourage vocations, we work in primary schools, middle schools and high schools. Through operations such as ” Space is classy “, conducted in partnership with the National Education, our employees present their profession in the field of space. The feedback is excellent.
We also welcome many young people during their 3rd year internship. And we participate in forums, fairs and competitions to encourage them to pursue scientific careers at CNES. Work-study programs also play a key role, with around 180 internships per year and around sixty work-study students. Finally, we welcome many doctoral students.
Equal pay is no longer an issue for us.
How can we get new generations to take root and who prefer to gain experience in different companies?
L. S. : To recruit the best profiles, it is essential to adapt our approach. These young professionals do not see their careers like their elders. We must consider the company as a star, with ramifications here and there. We have everything to gain by allowing our employees to develop outside of CNES, to better return later with new skills. In a company where career paths are often long-term, this is an idea that must be nurtured. A real cultural challenge for us, internally.
Is the feminization of the workforce a challenge for your often male-dominated engineering professions?
L. S. : Women represent approximately 38% of our workforce, including 30% among engineers. This is higher than the sector average, which is around 28%. Parity is respected within our executive committee, which is composed of equal numbers of women and men. Women also lead strategic projects for CNES, such as space transportation or orbital projects.
In addition, equal pay is no longer an issue for us. We have conducted salary revaluation campaigns and we are doing everything to mitigate the impact of parental breaks on women’s careers. Our employees, including managers, can adjust their working hours according to their needs.
We want to improve the inclusion of LGBT+ populations.
How can we move towards ever greater diversity and encourage more vocations among young women?
L. S. : Our female employees are great ambassadors! Highly committed, women engineers or those with responsibilities at CNES intervene in high schools thanks to partnerships with associations such as Elles bougent or Women in Aerospacewhich promote women’s access to technological careers and diversity in aeronautics and space.
The goal: to break down prejudices, to show high school girls that they can have a career in the scientific sector, that it is not reserved for boys. Another lever: internships and work-study programs, where we welcome many young women.
Is diversity a driver of performance for CNES?
L. S. : This is a key area of development. We have reached agreements with social partners on gender equality and the integration of workers with disabilities. But these prisms remain too narrow. We therefore plan to negotiate specific agreements at the end of the year, so that our workforce is even more representative of society.
For example, we want to improve the inclusion of LGBT+ populations. In terms of recruitment, we must ensure that candidates are treated without bias and at their fair value. This is a fundamental reflection that we must conduct on this societal issue.