European Warehouse Robotics | Investment & Hiring Trends

The warehouse robotics market is on an incredible growth trajectory, valued at $14.7 billion in 2024 and projected to reach a huge $117.3 billion by 2034. This year so far, we’ve seen investment in a range of European robotics companies, startups and scale ups, signalling growing confidence across the market.

As detailed in an article released late last year by SDC Executive featuring Locus Robotics, we’re seeing warehouse automation develop from tactical enhancement to strategy. Locus Robotics, for example, is not only scaling operations but leading the way in collaborative robotics, designed to work alongside human employees, not replace them, a vision that aligns with the current industry trend: robots augmenting labor, not replacing it, which is increasingly attractive to companies struggling with labor shortages and rising operational difficulty.

Here are just a few standouts from the first quarter alone:

• NEURA Robotics raised €120M to advance cognitive, humanoid robotics.
• Sereact, Capra Robotics, and Deus Robotics all secured significant funding to scale hardware and mobile robotic solutions.
• In February, Nomagic landed €41.5M to push AI-driven innovation and UVIONIX raised €3.4M to bring AI drones into warehouse logistics.
• March saw Galam Robotics and NODE Robotics pushing the modular and autonomous envelope further in Europe.

For CEOs, VPs of Logistics, and Operations Directors, the wave of funding is only part of the picture. Behind the capital is a steady growth in talent demand: over the past 12 months, we’ve seen a 15% increase in hiring for robotics engineers, automation specialists, and warehouse tech roles.

That talent is clustering in specific regions, with hotspots emerging across Europe in places like Katowice, Munich, Zürich, Romania, and Warsaw. The most in-demand skills, SCADA, PLC programming, Python, RPA, show that what’s needed isn’t just robotics know-how, but the ability to connect intelligent machines to practical workflows.

We’re also seeing clear movement across industries. Professionals are flowing into warehouse automation from sectors like motor vehicle manufacturing, IT consulting, and research services, an early signal that robotics is pulling top talent from well-established domains. Meanwhile, traditional manufacturing and business consulting are seeing net talent loss in this space.

Why does that matter? Because investment is following execution. Investors are backing companies that not only build promising technology but also attract the engineers and systems thinkers capable of delivering results on the warehouse floor.

The takeaway for logistics and operations leaders: robotics is no longer an R&D experiment or a long-term maybe. It’s a talent magnet and a business advantage today. If you’re evaluating robotics or AI-driven automation, now is the time to act—not just to adopt the tech, but to start hiring for it.

If you’re a hiring manager, executive, or team leader in the warehouse automation space, let’s connect and explore how these trends and the companies behind them could align with your growth strategy or talent needs.