ASML strongly believes that being a leader in sustainability makes us a better company and supports our efforts to attract and retain the top talents we need.

Customers have long expected us to meet increasingly ambitious technological standards. Now they also expect us to meet ever higher environmental and social standards, both in our operations and throughout our supply chain. We support this push towards making our industry more sustainable. And we strongly believe that becoming a leader in sustainability culture will strengthen our position in the semiconductor market even more.

We also believe that being a sustainable company, and having a sustainable approach to Human Resources, makes us an even more attractive employer. It helps us attract and keep the talented people we need to be successful. In our experience, today’s scientists and engineers are motivated not only by opportunities to work in a top-notch R&D environment, but also by the chance to make a meaningful contribution to creating a sustainable world.

Our HR approach

As a knowledge-based company, ASML’s business and future success depends on the ability to recruit, develop and retain adequately educated and skilled employees in a variety of technological fields. Competition for such personnel is intense and the availability of highly qualified professionals is limited. In addition, the increasing complexity of our products results in a steep learning curve for new and existing employees. It is therefore crucial for ASML to ensure continuity of the required knowledge, skills and competencies within its workforce. Having the right people in the right place at the right time is the continuous focus of our HR approach.

We develop programs to motivate talented people to join our company. Once they have joined ASML, employees are stimulated to develop their skills further and explore new areas of expertise. Each year, we set individual targets for our employees. We review progress and appraise performance.

In 2011, we sought to make it easier for employees to move to the next level by simplifying the career and salary structure at our company. We reduced the number of position descriptions to 90 from more than 800. We believe this will make it easier for employees to see which opportunities are available and understand what is required to seize them. In addition, our People Development team was created to define employee development needs within ASML and design and roll out projects accordingly. Enhancing transparency and creating the opportunity to develop is part of our efforts to increase employee satisfaction, which is a top priority and ultimately important to safeguarding the continuity of the company.