The U.S. aviation industry is at a crisis point in its workforce shortage. It’s a paradoxical challenge given that the national unemployment rate held firm at 4.2% in May. American Airlines currently averages more than 6,000 daily flights. This latest announcement underscores the pressing need for highly-skilled workers to produce both commercial and military airplanes and engines. According to projections from the Aircraft Industry Association, the industry will experience a shortfall of 25,000 aircraft technicians by 2028. This continued shortfall places our industry’s recovery and future expansion at risk.
Manufacturing now represents about 9% of U.S. jobs. At the same time, the aviation sector is experiencing a growing crisis of recruitment and retention of qualified workers. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), there are an estimated 13,400 job openings in this field each year over the next 10 years. More than anything, this paints a picture of the urgent need to address the talent deficit. In the United States, the average age of certified aircraft mechanics is 54. Alarmingly, 40% of these mechanics are over 60 years old. This historic demographic shift has led to much angst about upcoming retirements and the loss of seasoned workers.
The challenge of finding skilled labor goes deeper than the figures. Atlantic Coast Training at Aviation High School in Queens, New York has become a model for other schools and vocational education itself to follow. The school offers about 2,000 students the option to extend their education for a fifth year to earn FAA licenses, providing valuable training in a high-demand field. Just this year, Aviation High School was flooded with some 5,000 applications from students ready to jumpstart their future careers in the aviation industry.
American Airlines is proactively addressing this workforce gap by collaborating with high schools and junior high institutions to raise awareness about career opportunities in the aviation industry. Christian Meisner, chief human resources officer at GE Aerospace, spoke to the urgent demand for strong recruitment. He was quick to point out that the agency has bled a lot of talent in recent years.
“People forget that the aerospace industry was in a pretty serious ramp at the time pre-Covid. And then frankly, of course overnight we went from ramping to zero demand over time. And so we lost a lot of talent.” – Christian Meisner
Industry leaders agree that raising wages is necessary to bring in new labor. Sarah MacLeod, executive director of the Aeronautical Repair Station Association, pointed to the need for better pay. She hopes it will draw more students into aviation careers and assist with the industry’s current workforce shortage.
An increasing number of students are interested in pathways other than the four-year college degree. They’re looking for short-term wins in the aviation space. Sam Mucciardi, a student at Aviation High School, reflected on his aspirations:
“I’m thinking about going to college, but it’s whichever really comes first. If they give me an opportunity to go to the airlines, I’d like to do that.” – Sam Mucciardi
In a workforce panel, David Seymour, an industry practitioner and educator, dazzled the audience with the historical underpinnings that contributed to today’s workforce crisis. He pointed out that a large influx of mechanics entered the profession during the late 1980s and early ‘90s and are now all reaching retirement age.
“I stay late after school every day to work on the planes and, probably a little bit too much … but I still really enjoy it.” – Sam Mucciardi
This demographic transition presents enormous hurdles for an industry still uniquely struggling to rebound from pandemic-era busts. In fact, according to the FAA, a wave of new technicians will be essential to the future sustainability.
“You just start doing some math and you start saying at some point they’re going to retire,” – David Seymour
While companies look for way to solve their labor shortages, they face a changing macro-economic landscape. Gordon Hanson noted that the local labor market’s capacity to supply skilled workers will be tested as demand for aviation services continues to grow.
The aviation industry’s urgent call to develop their workforce is not just an industry-specific crisis, it’s indicative of a larger society-wide concern. MacLeod cautioned that the effects of this workforce shortage will be on many different industries.
“You’re asking the local labor market to supply workers.” – Gordon Hanson
The aviation industry’s push for workforce development is not merely an internal challenge; it reflects a wider societal issue. MacLeod warned that the repercussions of this workforce shortage will be felt across various sectors.
“The entire world is going to feel this workforce shortage. You already can’t get your houses built. You already can’t do XYZ. I think and pray that aerospace can actually lead the recovery of that.” – Sarah MacLeod