April 10, 2026 | Reading time: 9 minutes
Salzgitter AG is creating perspectives and opportunities – for a sustainable steel industry as well as for skilled and junior employees. How the Group attracts young people through targeted promotion, regional roots and transformation.
From an agricultural region to industrial and service location: Lower Saxony has undergone far-reaching economic change over the last hundred years. According to the Lower Saxony State Office for Statistics, around the year 1925 agriculture accounted for almost every second gainfully employed person, while around one hundred years later this figure had plunged to just 2.5 percent. One in four people work in a manufacturing company such as the automotive or steel industry, while around 73% are active in the service sector. This has obviously been a development benefiting the region: With a current unemployment rate of 6.3 percent, the federal state is currently slightly better off than the country as a whole (6.5 percent).
Salzgitter AG ranks as one of the companies contributing to the stability of regional employment: The Group’s headcount stands at around 9,000 employees in Salzgitter and Peine alone, with just under 800 additional employees in Ilsenburg in neighboring Saxony-Anhalt. The Group is also investing continuously in training: More than 1,000 junior employees are currently completing their apprenticeships at the Group – not only in Lower Saxony, but also throughout Germany. Like the chemical and automotive industries, however, the steel sector is also facing multifaceted challenges: High energy prices, a shortage of skilled workers and the transformation towards greater sustainability are shaping the everyday realities of companies.
Finding and retaining qualified employees is becoming increasingly difficult for many companies. Salzgitter AG is countering this with strong regional roots and targeted local recruiting, as exemplified here for Lower Saxony. Close partnerships between the companies such as Peiner Träger or Salzgitter Flachstahl and the schools and universities in the area put down an early and important foundation for establishing the Group as an attractive employer for potential junior staff.
Dialoging with the next generation at an early stage
Engagement and collaboration sets in already with career guidance: Internships, the Future Day and the Open Day provide pupils with their first insights into the Group’s working world. "School internships are a very important route to us," says Markus Rottwinkel, who, together with Pia Wiesinger, is responsible for employer branding at Salzgitter AG. She adds: "Many of our trainees got to know us that way". In the past, more than 90 percent were taken on board after completing their training, meaning that they are retained in the region as skilled workers.
But how can we make heavy industry attractive, especially for women, who have been markedly underrepresented in the workforce to date? One approach here is also to convey a fascination for technical tasks through practice and personal experience. Baccalaureate students can get to know working life in a company by way of the "Niedersachsen-Technikum" in cooperation with TU Braunschweig: The six-month program helps young women find out whether a STEM degree course (mathematics, computer science, natural sciences, technology) is the right option for them. They work four days a week at the company and spend one day at university.
Joining forces with the Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences in Wolfenbüttel and the Harz University of Applied Sciences in Wernigerode, the Group is also offering dual study programs that combine vocational training and a Bachelor's degree. "Students can also get involved with various internships with us, earn their first salary as working students or write their dissertations in the company," says Markus Rottwinkel. In the majority of cases, junior employees join the company long-term after such initial contacts – also given that there are often family bonds with the employer in such cases.
Generations on site
Many employees are the second or even the third generation to work for the Group. "That speaks strongly for our working conditions and the values we convey," says Pia Wiesinger. "Job security is extremely important for both specialists and junior staff. And we are offering this as an established company with a long tradition and a clearly defined vision for the future."
The focus is also on attractive framework conditions, such as modern home office regulations or a shift system optimized in terms of ergonomics. The team spirit is another plus point: "Our colleagues look out for each other, also given the need to ensure occupational safety," as Pia Wiesinger underlines. People who have worked for the company often recommend it to others in their own environment – meaning our employees themselves become the most important ambassadors in the region.
"Credible employer branding starts in-house. We not only aim to communicate our values, but also to make them tangible in our day-to-day work and firmly anchor them in our culture. The continuous development of our corporate culture is the foundation for a strong employer brand – both internally and externally."
Birgit Dietze, Labor Director of Salzgitter AG
Transformation as a perspective
In addition to stability and tradition, young employees are particularly attracted by the opportunity to contribute to the SALCOS® transformation program. "This is a clearly visible beacon project for industry that is being shaped and designed here in Salzgitter. SALCOS® is always a vital topic at trade fairs. Many junior employees are interested in being part of this transformation," says Pia Wiesinger.
In concrete terms, this entails: Developing hydrogen technologies, converting production facilities, establishing new processes – projects that are implemented in the region and will be securing thousands of jobs over the long term. "In this way," says Markus Rottwinkel, "we are making the location fit for the future." Digitalization, greater efficiency and demographic trends will usher in further changes. Salzgitter AG is meeting these challenges by providing extensive training and operating an active internal labor market. This is constantly opening up new perspectives and exciting development opportunities for employees.
Discover similar posts
Traveling to work on a steel bike
Marc Orenz, Head of Measurement and Control Technology at Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH, commutes twice a week from Braunschweig to Salzgitter by bicycle. He deliberately chose a steel frame for his bike because he is familiar with the advantages of the material.
Read post
"You can always do just a little bit better"
Optimizing in-house processes, scaling solutions and listening as closely as possible to customers: How the new "Operational Excellence" unit at subsidiary Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH is driving Salzgitter AG's performance forward.
Read postThe address of this article has been copied to your clipboard.