Our future growth is highly dependent on our innovative strength. Therefore, the expertise and engagement of employees in all business sectors in which we operate are crucial to our success. The markets relevant to the company are characterized by intense competition to recruit qualified specialists and talents, and by the challenge of being perceived by the public as an attractive employer. Fluctuation risks specific to countries and industries have to be identified ahead of time and specifically addressed in order to keep the skills and expertise critical to success and business within the company.
Recruiting as well as retaining specialists and talent are therefore key priorities for the company and are managed through the targeted use of, for instance, employer branding initiatives, global talent, and succession management processes as well as competitive compensation packages. Nevertheless, employee-related risks that affect business activities are possible; even though their impact is difficult to assess we evaluated a potential impact on the qualitative rating scale as moderate.