The world’s biggest luxury conglomerate is looking to hire YOU. Well, maybe. The French corporation announced last week that they plan on hiring 25,000 people under the age of 30 by the end of 2022. Yes. You read that correctly 25,000. What is being called a hiring “spree,” the corporation hopes to find the best and brightest for the future of LVMH. With a workforce of 165,000 employees, LVMH is looking to add young, fresh faces to its team. It is doing so by a significant push in recruitment and implementing training programs for college students.
It is an unseen move in the world of fashion, especially luxury. An opportunity in fashion has previously been seen as a privilege. But long are the days of fetching five iced macchiatos as an unpaid intern for “experience.” Gen Z and Millennials are looking for long-term investments in their career that can catapult them into management and executive positions down the line. But this initiative will not only be for corporate jobs but also to find the next generation of craftspeople to continue to make high-quality luxury goods.
These significant investments in young talent come after a 56% jump in revenues for the fashion conglomerate and a growing younger consumer base. LVMH has noticed this shift in young talent and is accepting young people and fostering their learning. They have begun an online certificate program called Inside LVMH. Students can learn about different aspects of the business in a 10-week program and receive a certificate for their work.
As a young person patiently waiting to graduate to get into “the real world,” initiatives like LVMH’s, are incredibly exciting and will hopefully start an industry-wide trend to recruit, foster, and promote young talent. This will hopefully begin a push to diversify the workplace and create opportunities for people of marginalized groups that may have been unobtainable years ago.
It will be interesting to see how this plan follows through. Currently, they are starting small and hiring 2,500 craftspeople in Italy and 5,000 interns and apprentices worldwide. As the initiative grows, they will employ mostly entry-level roles and hope to foster their growth to an upper management position down the line. Let’s see how LVMH holds up its promise.
Words by Tommy Drennan.
Graphic by Emily Tobias.