"The airport is like its own job market for us," says Johannes Klapper, Chairman of the Board of the Cologne Employment Agency, at the opening of Jobpoint. He said that 130 companies are active there and are constantly looking for new employees. The job placement center was set up as a joint project by the BA, regional job centers and the airport. Since Monday, 16 staff members from the Bonn, Cologne and Bergisch-Gladbach employment agencies and those from the Bonn, Rhein-Sieg, Cologne, Rhein-Berg and Leverkusen job centers have been working in the office in Terminal Two. A rotating system is used - the office is not permanently staffed with 16 people, rather the employees from the different regions take turns.

The 1,000 jobs that need to be filled right now are with the airport's three largest employers: DHL is looking for about 200 workers, and UPS 600, according to Vanneste. The airport itself, as an employer, needs 200 more staff. However, 50 of those have already been filled, he said. "We're looking for a wide variety of people. Aircraft loaders, firefighters, engineers, aviation clerks, check-in staff. That's the great thing about an airport: it's never boring," Vanneste said. He believes there will be many more job vacancies at the airport, which is why a central point "where all the jobs converge" is all the more important. He already knows such an employment center from Brussels Airport. It works together with the Belgian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as well as with training centers, he said. "There, everything is consolidated in one place. I see the same for here. I hope that Jobpoint will continue to develop," said Vanneste in an interview with the GA.

According to the company's CEO, the 1,000 positions should be filled in the coming month, or in two months at the latest. Because that is when the main business in the logistics sector begins with the Christmas season. At UPS, for example, parcels from all over Europe are handled in Cologne. And DHL is also growing substantially. "During the coronavirus pandemic, e-commerce (online trade) developed significantly," explains Vanneste. That's why parcel services in particular are in urgent need of staff.

The Bonn Federal Employment Agency (BA) is on site at the airport with three staff members. "We want to develop more expertise for employers at the airport," explains Stefan Krause, CEO of BA Bonn. "Before the Jobpoint opened, it was like this: when applicants came to us and asked about a job at the airport, our employees would start looking, needing a considerable amount of time. With Jobpoint, they are now right there and know the employers and the different companies. They now know much better what the job requirements are and are familiar with the environment at the airport. As a result, they can provide even better information to applicants," Krause added. The agency is now "closer to what's happening here" and can thus better bridge the gap between employers and employees.