On Sunday morning, April 14th, after Iran’s attack and unprecedented successful interception, employees of major tech companies (Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon, Apple) wrote in an anonymous post: In a Facebook group, people said they regret not working in the defense industry after a night like this. And he’s not alone. Since the war began, interest in defense companies has increased from candidates, some of whom work for high-tech companies and are interested in contributing to the war effort.
Some are looking for job security, while others are experiencing technology developed by defense companies for the first time and want to participate. A growing number of engineers and programmers prefer meaning over money when choosing between life-changing options, pay and retirement possibilities, and “defending the motherland.”
For example, a software engineer and project leader for air defense at Rafael, who requested anonymity, left the company in 2022 to take a job at Intel. He rejoined Rafael in March of this year. “I served about nine years as an officer in an elite unit of the Air Force and then served in Rafael for 24 years. I have lived through many wars and played an important role in them, but I have missed the current war. On October 8th, I called Rafael’s previous manager and I knew it was next to impossible, but I felt like I needed to be involved so I could be exposed to something new. “Even though I contributed a lot, was appreciated, and earned a lot of money, I couldn’t get rid of the feeling that I wasn’t part of this war,” he says.
In March, he received an offer to return as head of the project he is currently working on. “My son is currently a soldier in an elite unit serving in Gaza. When I received the offer and learned that this was a system that would protect soldiers, including my son, I couldn’t refuse,” he said. says.
Applications from defense companies and responses from candidates to approaches from companies have been on the rise since the start of the war. Rafael has seen an approximately 40% increase in initial calls. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is running an active campaign to recruit engineers, and the number of applications has increased by 200%, so it now receives thousands of resumes every month. And he says Elbit has seen an increase in the number of inquiries and, more importantly, a 30% reduction in the time needed to fill positions.
“Some employees leave for startups and come back because they want to do something important, and this trend continues. That number has increased significantly. We’re seeing a significant increase in interest and desire to partner with job seekers. We believe there are two main reasons for this. The first is that the war has revealed some very innovative technology, and the reason for that is the desire to do something important, and in Israel it’s really about ‘defending the homeland’. ” says Dr. Shelley Gordon, vice president of human resources at Elbit.
Nir Reiss, IAI’s Executive VP CHRO, says people working at other technology companies are interested in joining IAI because of the war. “For some of them, they would not have even considered moving from high-tech to IAI without recent developments. For others, it is a continuation of the IDF reserve force. We are actively working on this. We believe that it is necessary to ensure that those returning from the reserves find a suitable place in the labor market. This is an opportunity to hire someone who is looking for meaning and wants to come back from the reserves and come to a place of stability and growth. You can give them a safe place to return to and understand the possibility of extending the reserve period. ”
At Raphael, we attribute the increase in referrals to people seeking meaning, technical challenge, and career building. “People want to be part of a success story and everything that has happened since October 7th is what makes people want to work for an organization that matters. employer and people want to be a part of it,” he said. Sajid Sera Gul, Executive Vice President of Human Resources at Rafael, said:
Rafael employs 9,000 people, most of whom live in the north, and the company plans to hire an additional 2,200 people this year. Elbit plans to hire nearly 2,000 people this year, with more than 800 positions currently open. The company employs more than 13,000 people. He IAI, which also employs 7,000 engineers, expects to hire about 1,500 people this year.
Recruitment companies see a 20-25% increase in employee recruitment to defense companies compared to other companies in the market. “They’re in record hiring because they’re dealing with an extraordinary backlog that requires a lot of production workers to respond to. Of course, they’re perfecting and developing the system and making the system work. and precision workers.”The most popular positions are development positions, and we are also seeing the growth of small defense companies that provide solutions to the challenges of war as they emerge. ,” said co-CEO Chaim Giron. He is also the founder of Infinity Labs R&D.
For example, Tomer, a government defense company that develops rocket propulsion for the Arrow missile engine, is currently hiring 60 new employees, including research and development personnel, engineers, and development and production workers. Since the war began, the company has hired an additional 65 workers.
“Israel has always been considered a technological leader and has high capabilities, but no attack has ever been launched anywhere in the world, in which more than 300 missiles, including about 100 ballistic missiles, were launched against our country. It was something that had never happened before, and it gave us a real understanding of Israel’s superiority.” These aspects resonated around the world, and behind all these systems there is a It is important to understand that there are talented and dedicated people who have developed and perfected systems over the years in response to threats and continue to do so. Adjust your time according to current and future threats,” Gillon said.
During the war, many employees of start-up companies decided to join Elbit in part because of the job security offered by the defense industry compared to high-tech industries. For example, an algorithm engineer who asked to remain anonymous joined the company three months ago after working at a tech company for about two years. A systems engineer, who also requested anonymity, joined the company five months ago after three years at a startup. Another 30-year-old employee from Givatime, who requested anonymity, joined Elbit after joining Elbit. After working for Lusix and serving a four-month reserve as a combat soldier in the Israel Defense Forces.
“Our estimates are that the demand for workers among Israeli defense companies has increased by about 25% since the outbreak of the war. We see that defense companies are attracting workers from high-tech industries; , in addition to many layoffs due to declining trends in the industry, today defense companies offer job security, often with contracts in place for years to come. Increased risk. In contrast to high-tech companies, the level of unemployment is very important, sometimes even more important than the options and bonuses that high-tech companies offer. Also, defense companies offer different benefits to their employees. We offer competitive wages, high development challenges, health insurance and medical services, professional training and promotion, pension plans and remuneration, especially for engineers and professionals. Increased pay, subsidized meals, holidays, benefits and leisure facilities, grants and loans, etc.,” said Dana Lavi, Nisha CEO, Human Resources, Danel Group.
Base salaries for engineers in the defense industry are not comparable to those offered by companies such as Google and Microsoft. For example, an electronic engineer with 10 years of experience earns around 30,000 to 35,000 NIS ($8,100 to $9,400) a month, a mechanical engineer with 5 to 10 years of experience earns around 25,000 to 30,000 NIS ($6,750 to $8,100), Nisha According to data, algorithmists with 5 years of experience earn a similar amount. However, this is a base salary, and defense companies have various ways to reward employees, such as bonuses and long-term compensation plans.
“The average tenure of our employees is 10 to 12 years.What sets Elbit apart from organizations like Microsoft and Nvidia is the breadth of our products and the fact that we have different divisions such as air and ground and intelligence communications. “I think it’s because you can move within the organization, work with a different set of products, work with completely different customers, feel as if you’re at a new company, and have a very wide range of opportunities to develop your career. there is. It’s definitely an advantage,” Gordon says. Another factor that attracts engineers to work at Elbit in particular is his investment in research and development, which he has invested at $503 million, one of the highest in the industry.
“We will not be able to participate in the withdrawal of Rafael. On the other hand, there will be job security. The high-tech industry is very unstable. Due to technical challenges and the expected order volume, we will not be able to take part in the future. Job security will also be stable for 2020,” Serra-Gal said. “Our pay hasn’t decreased. We’re just not a public company, but our pay is fair compared to the market. It’s just not affected by the stock price. Some days the stock price goes up. , there are days when it goes down. We provide stable employment and stable employment for many years.”
At IAI, employees are provided with recruitment and retention grants, but primarily for purpose and growth throughout their careers. Two years ago, IAI launched a campaign aimed at high-tech engineers that derided working in the high-tech industry compared to what it means to work for IAI. For example, he called for involving high-tech workers in the development of autonomous robotic systems and anti-missile systems, saying, “Bravo to Alma! Thanks to thousands of children being hooked on computer games.”
Today, much persuasion is not needed, since the technologies developed by the defense industry are visible and their effectiveness has been proven time and time again in wars. Nevertheless, IAI still carries out an active recruitment campaign “We Don’t Stop”, underlining that the company’s employees fulfill not only their obligations to the command, but also their obligation to support Israel’s defense systems. are doing. “We believe IAI is a great company to work for. We offer a reasonable salary and demonstrate stable growth. We provide meaning. Why do people stay with us? It’s an opportunity to integrate into doing something meaningful. .