Own workforce

ESRS SBM-3

STRABAG’s success is built on the hard work and commitment of our dedicated employees. In the following, we report on the material impacts, risks and opportunities identified with regard to our own workforce in the areas of occupational safety and health, human rights and human resource development. Industry-specific characteristics, such as the use of heavy equipment and tools, as well as the exposure of 50,407 blue-collar workers (57% of STRABAG’s total workforce) to wind and weather, require a particular focus on occupational safety at our construction sites to avoid work-related accidents and ill health. Our adherence to Group-wide standards and the high collective bargaining coverage of our workforce ensure that all work at STRABAG is carried out under humane and fair conditions – both by our blue-collar workers on the construction sites as well as by the white-collar employees working in our office locations. STRABAG does not employ any external labour in its own workforce.

The range of services offered, along with the pace of technological progress, requires the use of numerous different skills and job profiles. As skilled labour becomes increasingly scarce, STRABAG is committed to strengthening employee retention and, above all, to attracting and retaining bright minds by offering opportunities for strategic training and skills development and fostering a diverse work environment.

We use the materiality assessment to consider and evaluate the negative and positive impacts on our own workforce as well as risks and opportunities with different areas of responsibility as a whole. The assessment of risks and opportunities was carried out primarily on the basis of external data sources such as scientific studies and industry analyses, as risks and opportunities often have indirect and long-term effects and can therefore only be translated into monetary terms to a limited extent.

At STRABAG, negative impacts occur predominantly in isolated cases. There are no indications of systematic occurrences within the Group, although the likelihood of certain negative impacts is higher for industry-related reasons. Due to the thematic diversity involved, the implementation of appropriate actions to manage these impacts and fulfil our due diligence obligations extends across various divisions within the Group. As these actions are an integral part of our ongoing daily business, it is not possible to say exactly which financial resources are allocated to the actions described in this chapter.

Reporting by the individual divisions to the Management Board enables the highest management level to monitor the issues described above. The Management Board also bears responsibility for human rights in this regard.

Human rights as an overarching topic

As an international technology group for construction services, we take responsibility for protecting human rights within our corporate sphere of influence. Due to the fragmented and complex supply and value chains, risks arise that we have to counter with foresight. Respect for human rights extends to three stakeholder groups: our own workforce, workers in the value chain and affected communities.

The implementation of our Social Compliance Management System (SCMS) and the associated actions cover all three of these stakeholder groups, which are therefore addressed in general in the section Our social responsibility and in more detail in the three chapters Own workforce, Workers in the value chain and Affected communities.

ESRS S1-1

Our Policy on Employment Conditions and Human Rights, which covers the topics of employment conditions, human rights and diversity, is also explained in more detail in the chapter Our social responsibility. The policy applies to all three stakeholder groups. Other policies and guidelines that specifically concern our own workforce are listed in this chapter. The Group directives described have been approved by the STRABAG SE Management Board.

In the event of a violation, remedy is provided. This includes, first and foremost, putting a stop to the violation, planning the necessary actions and initiatives on a case-by-case basis and, if no other solution can be found, taking further consequences such as disciplinary action. Compensation can also be provided. Restitution payments are used on a case-by-case basis, with the amount and scope reviewed and adjusted depending on the incident.

ESRS S1-2

STRABAG uses various channels and a range of formats to enable and promote a respectful dialogue and exchange with our employees. These include the annual appraisal interviews and the exit interviews conducted when an employee leaves the company, with insights gained incorporated into the further development of human resources. Depending on the circumstances and as needed and possible, employees are actively involved in the review of workplace accidents in order to integrate the insights gained into the accident-related lessons learned. There is no further, overarching structured process for ongoing engagement with the company’s own workforce that goes beyond this. In principle, employees can take their concerns to their respective supervisors, regional works councils and ombudspersons. Internal networks and programmes such as Female Leaders, as well as interaction opportunities on the intranet, create additional platforms for dialogue. In 2025, the Management Board adopted a mandate to develop a strategy aimed at strengthening the integration of blue-collar employees into the processes of strategic HR development. The objective is to enhance the company’s attractiveness as an employer and to strengthen employee retention, particularly among blue-collar staff, including through an expanded range of training and professional development opportunities. To identify appropriate action areas, several hundred interviews were conducted with blue-collar employees.

ESRS S1-3

At STRABAG, there are several points of contact and channels through which employees can express their concerns, including anonymously. The ombudsperson and whistleblower platform are the central points of contact, in addition to the works councils and the Human Rights Officer. This ensures that employee concerns and potential misconduct are systematically documented and investigated, and that appropriate remedy is provided. Remedy is determined on an individual basis and evaluated as part of the effectiveness reviews by the Social Compliance Management System. The effectiveness review assesses whether the violation has in fact been remedied, whether no recurrence occurs and whether appropriate preventive measures have been implemented.

The ombuds system offers a confidential point of contact for internal conflicts, cases of discrimination and personal hardship. The ombudspersons act as impartial mediators to support employees in finding solutions to their problems. Employees can either contact the ombudspersons directly or submit a report anonymously via the whistleblower platform. The ultimate responsibility for finding a solution lies with the persons concerned, while the ombudspersons accompany and support this process.

Another important channel of communication is the STRABAG whistleblower platform, which offers employees the opportunity to report their concerns anonymously. The platform can be used to report potential misconduct in the categories of discrimination, human rights and working conditions, as well as occupational health and safety. Incidents related to the company’s own workforce that were received in 2025 are explained in a separate section of this chapter.

The members of the works councils play a central role in safeguarding employee interests. STRABAG SE has an SE Works Council that delegates the employee representatives to the Supervisory Board of STRABAG SE. In addition to the SE Works Council, there also are country- and business-specific works councils. STRABAG respects the principle of freedom of assembly and free participation in trade unions as well as free participation in works councils in accordance with national legislation.

The Human Rights Officer acts independently and is available as a confidential point of contact for employees to report concerns or violations related to human rights. He or she investigates the concerns for potential violations and, if necessary, initiates the process for providing remedy. In addition, all reports, even if they do not constitute a violation, are included in the human rights risk assessment. The Human Rights Officer is responsible for monitoring the Social Compliance Management System as well as reviewing its effectiveness and acts in an advisory capacity to management.

Policies, actions and targets

ESRS S1-1, ESRS S1-2, ESRS S1-3, ESRS S1-4, ESRS S1-5

Occupational safety and health

A safe and healthy work environment that helps to prevent accidents and work-related ill health is important to STRABAG and a top priority in our corporate culture. A focus on health and safety in the workplace ensures the performance of our employees and the quality of our services. Our health and safety campaign 1>2>3 Safe! combines various awareness-raising initiatives related to occupational safety and health, including ongoing technical and organisational measures and temporary priority actions that were continued in 2025. Both forms are discussed in more detail in the following sections.

The STRABAG Group is certified to ISO 45001 (Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems) and is regularly audited internally and externally in this regard. An obligation to comply with this standard is laid out in an HSW Group Directive that applies to all employees within the Group as well as to our external contractors. The directive defines corporate-wide minimum standards for occupational safety and health to avoid accident and health risks in the workplace, including the standardisation of organisational structures, accident reporting processes, accident investigations and personal protective equipment as well as the assignment of responsibilities.

The central staff division Health Safety Wellbeing (HSW) brings together the areas of occupational safety, health and health promotion for all of STRABAG’s site workers and office employees. In accordance with the Group HSW Directive, responsibility for this area lies with the Management Board of STRABAG SE, which has tasked the head of the HSW central staff division with implementing measures, strategies and targets. The head of the central staff division reports directly to the CEO. A Group-wide accountability structure ensures the regular exchange and continuous development of these topics:

• HSW Group Committee (meets once a year)
• HSW National Committee (meets once a year in each country)
• Subdivision Occupational Safety Committee (meets at least once a year)
• Knowledge sharing with the HSW national representatives (once a month)
• PSA Group Committee (meets once a year)
• PSA National Committee (meets once a year)

The committees consist of employer representatives and prevention experts as well as employees from various corporate levels. Employees have the opportunity to register relevant topics through the occupational safety specialist and/or the works council as their representative, which are then dealt with by the above-mentioned bodies, depending on the extent to which they affect employees. Country-specific requirements regarding the composition or frequency of meetings are taken into account with regard to the committees’ work in each respective country. The management is responsible for convening and conducting the meetings.

To better reflect the STRABAG Group’s broad positioning, and to set a more ambitious target in view of the good performance, the acceptable accident frequency rate (number of work-related accidents per million hours worked) was reduced from 35 to 30. The value is valid from 1 January 2026 and applies to all subdivisions and corporate entities. This benchmark was introduced across all countries with the HSW country safety managers, agreed with the works council and ultimately approved by the STRABAG SE Management Board.

To continuously improve the quality and effectiveness of the occupational safety organisation, occupational health and safety management systems (ISO 45001, or, for specialist entities, Safety Certificate Contractors) have been implemented and certified throughout the group. Occupational health services are guaranteed in accordance with the respective legal requirements in the EU countries where we operate. Compliance is also ensured with the EU’s OSH Framework Directive 89/391/EEC, which defines the requirements and basic principles for prevention and risk assessment as well as the obligations of employers and employees with regard to occupational safety and has been transposed into national law in the EU member states.

To maintain safe working conditions, risk assessments (both psychological and physical) are carried out for each area of work to derive relevant protective measures and/or, rescue concepts as well as corresponding training and instruction needs. This evaluation is carried out for employees at all levels. In this context, own employees and those of external companies are treated equally and are jointly required to responsibly implement the derived protective measures in their own area of work.

The HSW inspection pyramid commits our leaders at all levels to monitor compliance with the protective measures. An inspection form, which varies depending on the area of work and risk assessment, is used to document the HSW inspections. To support the systematic implementation and monitoring of these standards, digital tools and platforms are used across the Group to enable the structured collection, analysis and evaluation of safety and health data. This provides the basis for the continuous improvement of occupational safety and health processes.

Serious accidents are thoroughly investigated, if possible and necessary with the persons involved in the accident themselves. An accident analysis sheet is used as a standardised template to systematically document and process a work-related accident. If a cross-organisational learning effect can be derived from the analysis of work-related accidents, an anonymised lessons-learned report is created. A lessons-learned report must always be created for life-threatening and fatal work-related accidents and submitted to the HSW country representative for further communication to the construction sites in order to develop specific prevention initiatives. Reports on analysed accidents are made available to employees through publication on the intranet as well as on noticeboards and through instructions at the construction sites. Health actions to prevent work-related ill health are also derived from the anonymised metrics provided by the accident insurance providers. Recognised occupational illnesses include skin diseases, back pain, hearing loss and asbestosis.

In the reporting year, we further pursued the centralised procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE). Personal protective equipment minimises the risk of injuries and work-related accidents by protecting employees from specific hazards in the workplace, making PPE a crucial addition to our technical and organisational safety measures. STRABAG aims to harmonise and standardise the procurement of PPE within the Group by rolling out a central purchasing platform and providing training on proper use and care. This is intended to ensure that all employees are equipped with high-quality protective equipment that complies with the applicable standards and that it is used properly.

• muscle strength diagnostics
• cardiovascular checks including ECG
• lung function tests
• blood pressure measurement

During the reporting year, 119 bus deployments took place (2024: 67) in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, during which a total of 3,330 employees (2024: 1,860) were examined.

In addition to mobile health checks, Group-wide actions to strengthen mental health are also organised. These include, among other things, programmes for stress management, nutritional counselling, exercise and ergonomics programmes as well as the assessment of psychological strain in the workplace. The actions are offered both online and in person, enabling them to reach a wide audience. In 2025, 40,427 white-collar (salaried) employees (2024: 40,105) and 29,135 blue-collar (hourly) workers (2024: 18,089) made use of the wellbeing programmes.

Another important action that was continued in 2025 is the centralised collection and storage of accident and occupational safety data on an HSW platform. Bundling our HSW statistics and documents (e.g. inspection forms, accident analyses) on a central platform will make it easier to evaluate and manage HSW-related topics in a targeted manner within the Group. The platform consists of different modules that are being developed, piloted and rolled out in a step-by-step manner. Group-wide roll-out of the platform is scheduled for 2026.

Strategic human resource development

Creating attractive working conditions involves much more than merely implementing occupational safety measures. Our goal is clear: As a leading construction technology company, we want to be an attractive employer for all people. To counteract the shortage of skilled workers and the loss of qualified personnel, our focus is on recruiting, training and appreciation. Only by supporting our workforce and taking their needs into account can we ensure employee satisfaction and provide our services on time and to the required quality.

The Group Directive on People & Culture Development, approved by the STRABAG SE Management Board, summarises the structures and processes in the area of People & Culture for all Group entities. This covers all phases of the candidate and employee journey at STRABAG – from initiatives to attract personnel to actions designed to retain our employees to processes applied when employees transition internally or leave the company. The directive also includes a guideline for promoting internal employee mobility as a way of increasing the permeability of employees within the Group and improving employee retention by highlighting opportunities for further development in other corporate entities.

The central division People & Culture Development (P&C DEV) is a Group-wide organisational entity tasked with supporting STRABAG’s strategy and goals in human resource matters in accordance with the Group Directive on People & Culture Development. To ensure successful implementation, the central division develops all guidelines and standards for the search, selection, qualification, promotion and development of employees at all levels.

In addition to a career as a line manager, which focuses on general day-to-day operations, two further career paths are also available at STRABAG: expert careers and project management. Experts have a high degree of professional specialisation in a specific field. Project managers possess many years of experience in project management and are responsible for complex construction projects.

The material impacts, risks and opportunities related to human resource topics are reflected in the “People” pillar of our corporate strategy, which includes the goal of increasing employee retention by 6% year-on-year. This target was actively developed by P&C partners and company leaders. Various exchange formats were used to discuss the concept of employee retention, collect feedback, make adjustments and precisely formulate the target for approval by the STRABAG SE Management Board. Employee retention is calculated as the inverse of the turnover rate. In 2025, employee retention reached 6.0 (2024: 5.2), thus achieving the target value of 5.5.

In the face of ongoing demographic trends and changing qualification requirements, STRABAG is working on a variety of actions to further strengthen employee retention and ensure that the Group has sufficient young talent with the best possible qualifications. These actions are not time-bound, as this is a long-term undertaking.

Some of the implemented actions are aimed at increasing the rate of employee appraisal interviews. The Group Directive on People & Culture Development requires an employee appraisal to be conducted at least once a year, including a digital recording and documentation of the interview content. The appraisal interview is an opportunity to give and receive mutual feedback and to show employees prospects for further development and, in this respect, is an important tool for positively influencing employee retention. An e-learning course on how to properly assess employee skills was launched in 2024 as a way to better prepare our company’s leaders for the interview situation. The e-learning course is open to all employees of the Group. As a voluntary course, there is no target rate for completion. By 31 December 2025, the course had been completed by 67.7% (2024: 48.5%) of STRABAG’s leadership employees.

An individual development plan is defined during the employee appraisal, which can comprise various actions depending on the further development needs and skills. Examples are traditional training formats, coaching and mentoring, participation in development centres to prepare potential candidates for new roles, and job rotation to gain insights into other fields. Working on the basis of our Strategy 2030, the central division P&C DEV developed a series of P&C focus topics together with the divisions that were then approved by the Management Board. In 2025, an increased target value of 30% to 50% was agreed, to be achieved by 2027. A development plan was in place for around 30% of salaried employees in 2025.

Employees who leave the company of their own accord are offered the possibility to engage in an exit interview. The insights gained from these interviews are also used to derive actions for strategic personnel development. The offboarding process for salaried employees is being gradually digitalised by sending questionnaires to departing staff. This is intended, on the one hand, to increase the response rate and, on the other, to enable evaluations to be carried out in anonymised form. Following a pilot phase in 2025, the process is to be rolled out across the Group in 2026.

Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI)

In addition to the strategic development of our workforce, we have also identified an inclusive and diverse working environment as a material factor for STRABAG’s success, incorporating this into our corporate strategy within the action area Inclusive Leadership@STRABAG. We summarise our understanding of diversity under the term Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).

Our Policy on Employment Conditions and Human Rights calls on STRABAG’s management and all employees to combat all forms of discrimination and to promote equal opportunities regardless of skin colour, nationality, ethnic origin, social background, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability or age.

• Annual increase of 6% in the percentage of women in management (Management Level 0–2) by 2030: The aim is to achieve the same percentage of women in management as in the Group as a whole. An increase of 3.6% was achieved in 2025.
• Gender pay gap of 0 by 2030: The value is determined annually and calculated as an average across all employees in the Group, regardless of their role. The figure is influenced, among other things, by the low percentage of women in technical professions and in management positions, which is common in the industry. For this reason, there are no annual targets for the period up to 2030.
• Mandatory e-learning course on equality, diversity and inclusion for all STRABAG employees: In 2025, the e-learning program in place since 2024 was translated into nine additional languages. This established the basis for extending the requirement, which had previously applied exclusively to leadership employees, to all STRABAG employees. The e-learning course has been mandatory for all employees since 1 January 2026. The completion rate for leadership employees as at 31 December 2025 stood at 87.5%.

The EDI team is working on further awareness-raising actions for the structured treatment of the three priority EDI dimensions of gender justice, generational diversity and ethnic diversity. The actions include the increased inclusion and integration of EDI in training courses and in existing processes in human resource development. The Female Leaders@STRABAG programme was established in 2025 to promote the personal development of female leaders and to strengthen their networking within the Group through targeted mentoring and coaching. The programme will continue to be offered in 2026.

Metrics

Characteristics of own workforce

ESRS S1-6

All employee figures were determined by including all associated Group companies and represent annual average values. The information required to generate the metrics was taken from the HR master data of the ERP system at Group headquarters as well as from organisational entities with other ERP systems through standardised monthly reporting. All employees with a valid employment contract were included.

In 2025, STRABAG employed a total of 88,556 people. Of these, 50,407 were blue-collar (hourly) workers and 38,149 were white-collar (salaried) workers. The number of employees in FTE is 80,211 (in line with the information in the notes to the consolidated financial statements). 3,269 employees (FTE) are attributable to subsidiaries and affiliated companies that are not included in the scope of full consolidation.

Number of employees by gender (head count)

Number of employees by country (head count)

Number of employees by gender and employment contract (head count)

Departures 

Collective bargaining coverage and social dialogue

ESRS S1-8

A total of 96% of STRABAG employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement (calculated on a head count basis). The information in the table below remains unchanged from the previous year.

Diversity metrics

ESRS S1-9

Adequate wages

ESRS S1-10

All STRABAG employees receive adequate wages in line with applicable benchmarks as stated in ESRS Disclosure Requirement S1-10.

Training and skills development metrics

ESRS S1-13

The different rates for appraisal interviews at STRABAG result from the use of different reference values. While the appraisals for salaried employees are systematically assigned and recorded via internal IT systems (corresponding to the category “For allocated STRABAG employees”), this does not happen automatically for hourly workers due to the limited technical integration of the latter into the IT systems. This results in a different calculation basis for the respective rates cited.

Employee appraisal interviews (calculated on a head count basis)

Training hours (calculated on a head count basis)

Health and safety metrics

ESRS S1-14

STRABAG has revised the methodology for determining days lost. Starting with the current reporting year, both weekend days and statutory public holidays are included in the calculation. The days lost reported for the previous year have been recalculated accordingly to ensure comparability between the two financial years.

Remuneration metrics

ESRS S1-16

Human rights incidents

ESRS S1-17