Story ID: 371
Aviation Needs To Recruit 1.5 Million Professionals
By: Charles Alcock
Caption: CAE published its latest Aviation Talent Forecast at the Paris Air Show
Word Count: 348
The civil aviation industry will need to recruit around 1.5 million professionals worldwide by 2034, according to the latest aviation talent forecast released by training organization CAE on Monday at the Paris Air Show. The latest edition of the biennial study includes air traffic controllers for the first time, saying that 71,000 controllers will be needed over the next 10 years, in addition to large numbers of pilots, maintenance technicians, and cabin crew.
According to the forecast, nearly 1.3 million airline professionals will be required, including 267,000 pilots, 347,000 technicians, and 678,000 cabin crew. A large proportion of these employees will be needed in the Asia-Pacific region. Additionally, the business aviation sector will need 102,000 professionals over the same period, including 33,000 pilots and 69,000 technicians.
“The need for 1.5 million new aviation professionals by 2034 is being driven by record demand for air travel and a significant wave of retirements that is expected across all categories,” said Marie-Christine Cloutier, CAE’s v-p for strategy, performance, air traffic services, and marketing.
“With commercial and business aviation fleets expected to see double-digit increases over the next 10 years, the industry must take action to attract, train, and retrain personnel. Highly skilled aviation professionals are not just a necessity for the safety of the air transport system, and they are the foundation for the successful expansion and resilience of the global aviation sector.”
CAE said the industry needs a comprehensive training environment to ensure that qualified candidates make it through graduation and into the workforce. The report found that across all professionals, dropout and failure rates are high. In the U.S. alone, 30% of paid air traffic control students do not complete their training, according to the National Airspace System Safety Review Team.
This week, the Aerospace Industries Association and McKinsey released a study showing that the aerospace and defense industry is facing an increasingly serious workforce challenge. The “Accelerating Progress—Maximizing the Return on Talent in A&D” report said the industry needs to urgently adopt a new approach and make more sustained investments to attract and retain talent.