FlightJobs · Career resource

Cautious optimism the mood for 2023 recruitment

What are the prospects for aviation jobs in 2023? Bernie Baldwin speaks to players and observers to hear how they view the year ahead.

12 January 2022 11 min read

At the point where the Covid pandemic started to abate with the introduction of vaccines, observers of the aerospace and aviation industries began tentatively forecasting when business might make it back to pre-pandemic levels. Some of the more enthusiastic predictions went for the latter part of 2023, though most opted for 2024.

<img alt="Airbus" src="/getasset/168b2f16-e86c-4449-a4ca-6b9fa6992a1e/" />

Photography courtesy of Airbus. 

A resurgence in recruitment, however, is beginning to happen, though its pace is obviously varied by sector, geography and potentially by the effects of a global cost-of-living crisis. Yes, just you get through one challenge, another appears.

David George, CEO of specialist recruitment agency, Brookfield Aviation, is seeing some positives though. “This year, the market for job seekers in the industry has improved as most countries have moved on from Covid and generally I would expect more requirements during 2023. The cost of living crisis is sure to affect certain sectors of the aviation industry, putting downward pressure on fares and reduced schedules. However, this is a worldwide industry and in many regions business is still booming,” he notes. 

“We have plenty of requirements in North America, Africa and Asia and the expectation is that this situation will continue for the foreseeable future,” George continues. “The outlook is not so great in some regions though. China is still effectively closed to foreign pilots and engineers as Covid restrictions continue and the industry in Russia and Ukraine is at an all-time low because of the war.

“These are the biggest challenges and almost certainly set to continue through next year. So as much as nobody welcomes a cost of living crisis – and it will surely affect the holiday charter business in Europe – there are many other opportunities worldwide, so I am very optimistic about 2023,” George concludes.

Lewis Purcell is director–Asia, Pacific (APAC) and North America for Rishworth Aviation, also a specialist in aviation recruitment. He picks up on the geographical element of the upturn, particularly for the regions within his portfolio.

“In APAC, the return to pre-pandemic numbers is heavily influenced by China's closed borders, which has significantly impacted carriers within the region – with pre-pandemic China accounting for a large portion of their business through routes into China. Also, Chinese travellers considerably affect the general demand for travel within the region,” he reports. 

“Some regional airlines have indicated that they will only return to pre-covid capacity upon opening borders with China. This will considerably impact recruitment within the sector, particularly flight crew, in APAC. It will further impact other markets as pilots from other regions return or take up opportunities with Chinese carriers and carriers within APAC,” Purcell adds.

“The cost of living and the Ukraine/Russia conflict may impact travel and recruitment needs in APAC. Overall, it's essential to anticipate the needs beyond what airlines see and have a realistic and well-formulated recruitment plan. In APAC, there is expected to be a shortage of senior personnel within the industry – particularly senior captains, trainers, examiners, and senior engineers.”

Despite those shortages, while many pilots are still open to hearing about new job opportunities, a majority aren't actively looking, according to Purcell. The reason is that, post-Covid, there are higher expectations in the area of work–life balance. “These changing pilot expectations will place pressure on airlines to develop their value propositions in the job market,” he predicts.

Managing director of Altair Advisory, Patrick Edmond, chaired a panel at the recent European Regions Airline Association (ERA) General Assembly, during which there was an audience poll of around 350 senior aviation people asking when they thought the staffing crisis would be past. “I was struck by the lack of confidence that the situation would be resolved by Summer 2023,” he reports, noting that the largest group expected a longer timescale to restore normality.

“Current pilot recruitment challenges are relatively well known. The US regional carriers are suffering from the ongoing inflexibility of the Procrustean 1500-hour rule, allied to pilot retirements in the majors and increasing competitive wage pressure from LCCs. In Europe, the pressure has been falling on some of the LCCs, with Wizz Air probably closest to the ‘bleeding edge’ of rostering to the maximum, Edmond says.

<img alt="Wizz Air" src="/getasset/e6ce6c13-1911-4244-9466-349f0cf63b79/" />

Photography courtesy of Wizz Air. 

The Altair MD believes the recruitment challenge which threatens to “hobble the industry for another year or more” is the less high-profile shortage of airline and airport operational staff, such as baggage handlers, check-in agents, security screeners, line engineers and dispatchers.

“In many countries, the pandemic was accompanied by government-backed furlough schemes which supported aviation workers who suddenly had no planes and passengers to tend to. In other countries, staff lost their jobs and had to find alternative work in other sectors,” he recalls, before posing the semi-rhetorical key question: “But aviation is an addictive career and once the bug bites, you never want to work in any other industry – right?

“Back in 2014 there was a Tube strike in London, which closed some stations but not others, forcing many commuters to find alternative routes. Using Oyster [pre-paid network travel] card journey data, ingenious researchers subsequently determined that when people were forced into trying something different, they often found the alternative was better and didn’t return to the status quo ante,” Edmond elaborates. “And so it’s proved with aviation staff. Many airline and airport workers have discovered that they can live without the antisocial hours, the outdoor work in all weathers, the angry passengers and the low pay. For many if not most, the glamour days of aviation as a career are well in the past.

“They are now working in retail, in manufacturing, in call centres. Many are working from home thanks to the new post-pandemic normal. They’ve found a new work/life balance and – like the London commuters in 2014 – don’t want to go back to the old ways.

“The big challenge is going to be how to hire and retain a new cohort of front-line staff across airlines, handling agents, and airports,” Edmond observes. “These staff need security vetting, which takes time (another problem), so rapid turnover imposes its own costs. Salaries will have to rise, conditions will have to improve, and ultimately this is going to impact handling costs and airport charges, and hence air fares.”

Out on the front line, Jane Hossack, director of people at AJW Group, has an upbeat view on the current scenario. “AJW Group places immense value on its human resources, and we are optimistic about the potential for recruitment growth in the aviation industry moving into 2023,” she declares. 

“One cannot deny that Covid had an immense impact across the labour market, and there are now staff shortages due, partly, to a general lack of trust in the aviation industry post-pandemic,” Hossack notes, being slightly reminiscent of points made by Edmund, to which she highlights a different angle.

“This ‘brain drain’ is not necessarily bad news. People may have left the aviation industry, but this applies to other industries too, which means there are people on the market looking for new opportunities, regardless of the cost-of-living crisis. This creates an opportunity to draw new individuals into the industry and diversify our talent pool.”

AJW Group is committed to building a solid foundation to engage such people in the aviation industry. “We also look to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) as the driving force behind offering students incredible opportunities to pursue a career in aviation. The Group is committed to educational outreach and when you start with programmes such as STEM, you encourage skill development in the new generation, and spark their interest in pursuing careers in aerospace,” Hossack emphasises.

<img alt="AJW Technique " src="/getasset/1585da32-7604-418f-8790-273daeff0797/" />

 Photography courtesy of AJW Technique.

“Technology has evolved, and although going digital was always a goal, the pandemic has accelerated this. Moving into digitalisation is not a choice right now, it is a necessity to transform the way we work,” she continues. “We are focused on communicating and engaging with the younger technicians and engineers through digital transformation and developing a real appetite for learning in the emerging workforce. Through a cycle of engagement from all levels in the business, young and old, experienced and apprentice, we remain committed to transforming aviation efficiency.”

AJW Group sees itself as an employee-centred business and reinforces succession plans through improved mentoring programmes and training, essential to improving business skill sets. “At AJW Technique in Montreal, for example, we are fortunate to have an experienced team of technicians with thousands of years of experience between them. We are currently integrating solutions to capture tribal knowledge and facilitate the training of new hires, especially as the industry faces growing concerns about retirement, skill gaps, and recruitment difficulties,” Hossack explains.

“We are building a tablet application that encompasses the technicians’ workflow with the goal of maximising component touch time. We aim to optimise and change the way we work, to create more opportunities for employment in digital development and management, for technicians and engineers, and in other areas of the workforce,” she adds.

The Group is committed to attracting and retaining the right talent by providing an environment where employees are encouraged to develop their skills to their full potential. “We offer a flexible work environment where teamwork is central and work–life balance is a priority. As such, we have been running recruitment drives to create awareness of job opportunities, which have been met with enthusiasm,” Hossack reports.

“We are now in an exciting time where there is a great deal of opportunity for growth, expansion, and advancement within a company such as AJW Group and the aviation industry, making it an appealing option for those in the talent pool. We are optimistic there will be a return to pre-pandemic numbers moving into 2023,” Hossack summarises.

While there is still a cautious element to recruitment prospects for 2023, it appears that those who are optimistic about prospects are also driving forces to actually make that resurgence happen, reinforcing the long held view of this being a resilient industry.

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