<p>The past 12 months have seen the commercial aviation industry back on the right track, with the return to pre-pandemic traffic numbers almost complete and the industry now exhibiting growth. This has been demonstrated by the large aircraft orders being placed, not least at the recent Dubai Air Show.</p>
<p>The question that therefore needs to be asked is: ‘Does the industry have the personnel needed – pilots, cabin crew, MRO practitioners, IT specialist and more – to effect that growth and if not, how will it overcome shortfalls?’</p>
<p>Hollie Prendergast, managing director of recruitment and training specialists JMC Aviation, believes that while aviation is indeed bouncing back, the challenges it faces “in finding the staff needed to support this recovery are still very real” as 2024 approaches.</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="Hollie Prendergast managing director JMC Aviation" src="/getasset/8d05ac7a-6be1-4f3a-a30c-10f2b800549e/" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Hollie Prendergast, Managing Director, JMC Aviation</p>
<p>“With aviation effectively on hold during the pandemic, many engineers and technicians saw an opportunity for early retirement or to move to other industries. In fact, our Aviation Engineering Professionals Industry Survey found 42% of those working in the industry had left,” Prendergast reports. “It’s pleasing to see that as the recovery continues some of those leavers have returned. However, we still face the challenge of an aging workforce, and unfortunately the current training output does not match the growing need for aviation professionals. </p>
<p>“Put simply, there aren’t enough young people choosing – or being encouraged – to study or train in aviation roles, particularly in maintenance,” the MD continues. “Even if this improved tomorrow, the gap in the market for skilled workers would exist for as long as it takes those students to gain the relevant qualifications and experience needed to begin their career.</p>
<p>“The industry needs to work collectively to attract young, ambitious and skilled professionals, as well as keep those who are already building their careers,” Prendergast emphasises. “The focus must be placed on relevant education for all ages, genders and backgrounds, alongside encouraging continued development within the industry, whilst ensuring we’re able to pay competitive wages.”</p>
<p>JMC Aviation has been investigating workforce solutions, most recently developing its Global Engineering Workforce programme. “The scheme sees skilled workers sponsored and deployed across our maintenance teams. This ensures that the businesses to which they are deployed continue to thrive as the industry grows, helping to secure existing jobs and create more opportunities for newly qualified engineers soon to be entering the sector,” Prendergast remarks, noting that the programme has already been hugely successful. “We will certainly be utilising it to help more of our customers with their recruitment challenges as we move into 2024.”</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="Photography courtesy of JMC Aviation" src="/getasset/f82b9c5e-8412-4d9d-8086-914ead50235f/" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Photography courtesy of JMC Aviation</p>
<p>Airlines, too, are obviously feeling the pinch, as acknowledged by Simon Benz, head of corporate communications at Helvetic Airways. “There are, and have been, numerous challenges this year, as the aviation ecosystem was and is not yet ready, not least due to the lack of personnel availability. Additional personnel will still be needed in aviation in 2024, and in all areas. This makes it even more important to plan ahead and start recruiting in good time,” he confirms.</p>
<p>“Helvetic Airways has almost completed its recruitment campaign for 2024 in most areas. Due to the operational requirements in the cockpit for the 2024 summer flight schedule, we will be carrying out several upgrades to Commander over the winter. As a result of these internal upgrades, type ratings were carried out on the E2 in November 2023 and further E2 type ratings will follow in January 2024,” Benz reports.</p>
<p>“Our collaboration with our sister company, Horizon Swiss Flight Academy, is proving to be extremely valuable. This year, we have already been able to hire over 30 ab initio pilots who were in a Helvetic Horizon cadet programme and another 10-15 will join us in January,” he adds. “On the technical side, we also had to be a little creative, but we have succeeded in recruiting outstanding Embraer specialists. Here, too, the process will be completed by the end of the year.</p>
<p>In the cabin, where staff turnover is traditionally the highest, the airline is constantly recruiting. “However, with innovative part-time working models, we can compensate for those leaving and keep the workforce stable. The courses for the first half of 2024 have already been published and are well filled,” Benz remarks, adding that, at the beginning of December 2023, Helvetic Airways employed around 510 people.</p>
<p>Line Up Aviation is another renowned international aviation recruitment consultancy. Established in 1988, the company now provides workforce solutions in more than 50 countries. Its chief executive, Ian Taylor, has also been looking ahead to 2024.</p>
<p>“While there is a well-known labour shortage across our industry, it has never been more pressing nor apparent,” Taylor remarks. “Having recently returned from both the MRO Europe event and the Dubai Air Show, the theme is that every organisation, irrespective of size, specialism and location, is struggling with both staff retention and acquisition. </p>
<p>“Prospective candidates and existing employees are capitalising on the demand for talent, and we’re seeing a shift towards companies fortunate enough to be able to offer large remuneration packages. Operators in the Middle East are primed to be at the forefront of this trend, with large investment funds to draw upon to meet the financial needs and expectations of importing industry experts,” Taylor adds.</p>
<p>The Line-Up chief executive notes that the movement of people between organisations and continents is doing little to satisfy overall industry demand, as it is merely shifts the problem from one area to another. “Organisations should be focussing on offering grass-roots initiatives, apprenticeships, and similar industry-entry programmes within their territories in order to offset the loss of expertise encountered at the outset of the pandemic through early retirements and people leaving aviation for less volatile industries,” he explains.</p>
<p>Taylor also believes that with geopolitical events influencing international trade, organisations need to consider their wider value propositions as well as their remuneration and benefit packages. “They need to be creative and embrace new ways of working,” he confirms. “Something we’re seeing more of is the willingness to import foreign expertise through sponsorship, particularly in the UK, Europe and the USA, where demand has previously been satisfied by homegrown talent. </p>
<p>“As a whole, organisations need to recognise that people have choice, and respect their demands. They must be prepared to evaluate individuals on their worth to their business, not the market, and be open to being flexible,” Taylor advises.</p>
<p>GOOSE Recruitment’s chief operating officer Martin Bennell and team leader of aviation recruitment, Aimee Simpson, agree with Taylor’s view that the Middle East is likely to see much action in the area of recruitment.</p>
<p>“Dubai particularly is growing as a talent hub. It has invested in itself and is increasingly attracting more businesses to locate offices or head offices,” Bennell comments. “Its strategic location, robust infrastructure, favourable business environment and diverse offerings in terms of leisure and career opportunities are making Dubai stand out as one of the most attractive talent hubs.”</p>
<p>Simpson concurs. “Attractive packages and a desire to attract ex-pats are helping businesses be successful in attracting talent. It is well known that talent attracts talent, so this could become a very rich talent hub for aviation,” she observes. </p>
<p>Bennell and Simpson note that the trends currently shaping aviation recruitment are not unfamiliar. “But their urgency is becoming increasingly apparent,” they emphasise. “Our recent analysis of the top 10 in-demand roles reaffirmed that the skills sought remain critical now and will continue into 2024, and the challenges posed by skill shortages are escalating.”</p>
<p>The roles identified in that top 10 list were:<br />
• Safety and compliance managers<br />
• Chief commercial officers (CCOs)<br />
• B1/B2 engineers<br />
• Quality managers<br />
• Airworthiness engineers<br />
• Operations controllers<br />
• Pilots<br />
• Training and development managers<br />
• NDT (non-destructive testing) technicians<br />
• Charter brokers</p>
<p>According to Bennell, 2024 will not necessarily be about new trends in aviation and airline recruitment but will be about recruitment teams understanding the trends and knowing how to act to be successful in attracting and retaining the right people. “With time to hire reaching unprecedented durations, the imperative to accelerate recruitment processes is no longer a choice but a necessity,” he declares.</p>
<p>“The impact of long notice periods and counteroffers is slowing down recruitment,” Simpson notes. “Counteroffers are now the norm. In the last 12 months, we have seen the most aggressive ever in aviation and airline recruitment. The renewed focus on retention has meant that while employers may once have been confident in rehiring, they now do everything they can to keep hold of people.</p>
<p>“With multiple job offers on the table for many candidates, the need for employers to let a successful candidate know quickly that they want to hire them has become imperative. A delay in feedback can increase the chances of a candidate attending other interviews and potentially receiving competing job offers. We advise employers to leave a candidate in no doubt when they want that person,” she remarks.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Bennell says that one of the biggest opportunities aviation has for recruitment in 2024 and beyond is to embrace hybrid working as a way to open up the talent marketplace. “It allows businesses to tap into pools beyond their immediate geographical location and is especially beneficial for businesses in regions with a heightened shortage of skilled workers in specific fields,” he argues.</p>
<p>“It also enables businesses to build diverse teams with people from a variety of different backgrounds, cultures and regions. Diversity can lead to a richer and more innovative work environment, as diverse perspectives contribute to creative problem-solving and decision-making,” Bennell posits.</p>
<p>France-based AFMAÉ (Association pour la Formation des Métiers de l’Aérien) trains mechanics, technicians and station agents through apprenticeships. It also has a range of training courses leading to professional qualifications for flight attendants. The organisation’s CEO, Magali Jobert, is another who views the aviation sector as being in full recovery while facing the challenge of recruiting qualified personnel. </p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="AFMAE image 3" src="/getasset/768e2b76-be42-402d-9229-4f1e03b17254/" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Photography courtesy of AFMAÉ </p>
<p>“Qualified personnel implies trained individuals, whether in the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) sector or in the customer/passenger relations sector. Training is an essential factor for the sector's recovery,” Jobert declares. “Also, aviation is a sector undergoing transformation, and methods, tools, and individuals are evolving. AFMAÉ adapts to these changes and the market to always provide qualified knowledge transmission to learners, tailored to the needs of businesses.”</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="AFMAE Image 1" src="/getasset/9fbfb784-247e-43d1-be63-bea38f7a342f/" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Photography courtesy of AFMAÉ</p>
<p>Jobert believes that to address the lack of resources, aviation must “activate other levers”, for example, by trying to attract professionals from other sectors. At AFMAÉ, this means that, in continuous training, the organisation offers “a range of courses that allow people who are distant from employment to return to the training and employment circuit”.</p>
<p>“We are part of a rich and varied ecosystem thanks to our partners and client companies. This allows us to deliver a hiring rate of 97% at the end of training, with the remaining 3% deciding to continue their studies. AFMAÉ records very few dropouts during the course,” Jobert states proudly.</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="training courses" src="/getasset/811de7e9-c070-4b43-9161-f85a903546e9/" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Photography courtesy of AFMAÉ </p>
<p>“Cautious optimism” is a phrase often used when predicting the outlook for an industry. The demand for travel has taken aviation beyond simple optimism to a real belief that growth is under way. Any caution remaining relates only to the industry’s ability to attract, train and retain its people.</p>
<p>The question that therefore needs to be asked is: ‘Does the industry have the personnel needed – pilots, cabin crew, MRO practitioners, IT specialist and more – to effect that growth and if not, how will it overcome shortfalls?’</p>
<p>Hollie Prendergast, managing director of recruitment and training specialists JMC Aviation, believes that while aviation is indeed bouncing back, the challenges it faces “in finding the staff needed to support this recovery are still very real” as 2024 approaches.</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="Hollie Prendergast managing director JMC Aviation" src="/getasset/8d05ac7a-6be1-4f3a-a30c-10f2b800549e/" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Hollie Prendergast, Managing Director, JMC Aviation</p>
<p>“With aviation effectively on hold during the pandemic, many engineers and technicians saw an opportunity for early retirement or to move to other industries. In fact, our Aviation Engineering Professionals Industry Survey found 42% of those working in the industry had left,” Prendergast reports. “It’s pleasing to see that as the recovery continues some of those leavers have returned. However, we still face the challenge of an aging workforce, and unfortunately the current training output does not match the growing need for aviation professionals. </p>
<p>“Put simply, there aren’t enough young people choosing – or being encouraged – to study or train in aviation roles, particularly in maintenance,” the MD continues. “Even if this improved tomorrow, the gap in the market for skilled workers would exist for as long as it takes those students to gain the relevant qualifications and experience needed to begin their career.</p>
<p>“The industry needs to work collectively to attract young, ambitious and skilled professionals, as well as keep those who are already building their careers,” Prendergast emphasises. “The focus must be placed on relevant education for all ages, genders and backgrounds, alongside encouraging continued development within the industry, whilst ensuring we’re able to pay competitive wages.”</p>
<p>JMC Aviation has been investigating workforce solutions, most recently developing its Global Engineering Workforce programme. “The scheme sees skilled workers sponsored and deployed across our maintenance teams. This ensures that the businesses to which they are deployed continue to thrive as the industry grows, helping to secure existing jobs and create more opportunities for newly qualified engineers soon to be entering the sector,” Prendergast remarks, noting that the programme has already been hugely successful. “We will certainly be utilising it to help more of our customers with their recruitment challenges as we move into 2024.”</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="Photography courtesy of JMC Aviation" src="/getasset/f82b9c5e-8412-4d9d-8086-914ead50235f/" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Photography courtesy of JMC Aviation</p>
<p>Airlines, too, are obviously feeling the pinch, as acknowledged by Simon Benz, head of corporate communications at Helvetic Airways. “There are, and have been, numerous challenges this year, as the aviation ecosystem was and is not yet ready, not least due to the lack of personnel availability. Additional personnel will still be needed in aviation in 2024, and in all areas. This makes it even more important to plan ahead and start recruiting in good time,” he confirms.</p>
<p>“Helvetic Airways has almost completed its recruitment campaign for 2024 in most areas. Due to the operational requirements in the cockpit for the 2024 summer flight schedule, we will be carrying out several upgrades to Commander over the winter. As a result of these internal upgrades, type ratings were carried out on the E2 in November 2023 and further E2 type ratings will follow in January 2024,” Benz reports.</p>
<p>“Our collaboration with our sister company, Horizon Swiss Flight Academy, is proving to be extremely valuable. This year, we have already been able to hire over 30 ab initio pilots who were in a Helvetic Horizon cadet programme and another 10-15 will join us in January,” he adds. “On the technical side, we also had to be a little creative, but we have succeeded in recruiting outstanding Embraer specialists. Here, too, the process will be completed by the end of the year.</p>
<p>In the cabin, where staff turnover is traditionally the highest, the airline is constantly recruiting. “However, with innovative part-time working models, we can compensate for those leaving and keep the workforce stable. The courses for the first half of 2024 have already been published and are well filled,” Benz remarks, adding that, at the beginning of December 2023, Helvetic Airways employed around 510 people.</p>
<p>Line Up Aviation is another renowned international aviation recruitment consultancy. Established in 1988, the company now provides workforce solutions in more than 50 countries. Its chief executive, Ian Taylor, has also been looking ahead to 2024.</p>
<p>“While there is a well-known labour shortage across our industry, it has never been more pressing nor apparent,” Taylor remarks. “Having recently returned from both the MRO Europe event and the Dubai Air Show, the theme is that every organisation, irrespective of size, specialism and location, is struggling with both staff retention and acquisition. </p>
<p>“Prospective candidates and existing employees are capitalising on the demand for talent, and we’re seeing a shift towards companies fortunate enough to be able to offer large remuneration packages. Operators in the Middle East are primed to be at the forefront of this trend, with large investment funds to draw upon to meet the financial needs and expectations of importing industry experts,” Taylor adds.</p>
<p>The Line-Up chief executive notes that the movement of people between organisations and continents is doing little to satisfy overall industry demand, as it is merely shifts the problem from one area to another. “Organisations should be focussing on offering grass-roots initiatives, apprenticeships, and similar industry-entry programmes within their territories in order to offset the loss of expertise encountered at the outset of the pandemic through early retirements and people leaving aviation for less volatile industries,” he explains.</p>
<p>Taylor also believes that with geopolitical events influencing international trade, organisations need to consider their wider value propositions as well as their remuneration and benefit packages. “They need to be creative and embrace new ways of working,” he confirms. “Something we’re seeing more of is the willingness to import foreign expertise through sponsorship, particularly in the UK, Europe and the USA, where demand has previously been satisfied by homegrown talent. </p>
<p>“As a whole, organisations need to recognise that people have choice, and respect their demands. They must be prepared to evaluate individuals on their worth to their business, not the market, and be open to being flexible,” Taylor advises.</p>
<p>GOOSE Recruitment’s chief operating officer Martin Bennell and team leader of aviation recruitment, Aimee Simpson, agree with Taylor’s view that the Middle East is likely to see much action in the area of recruitment.</p>
<p>“Dubai particularly is growing as a talent hub. It has invested in itself and is increasingly attracting more businesses to locate offices or head offices,” Bennell comments. “Its strategic location, robust infrastructure, favourable business environment and diverse offerings in terms of leisure and career opportunities are making Dubai stand out as one of the most attractive talent hubs.”</p>
<p>Simpson concurs. “Attractive packages and a desire to attract ex-pats are helping businesses be successful in attracting talent. It is well known that talent attracts talent, so this could become a very rich talent hub for aviation,” she observes. </p>
<p>Bennell and Simpson note that the trends currently shaping aviation recruitment are not unfamiliar. “But their urgency is becoming increasingly apparent,” they emphasise. “Our recent analysis of the top 10 in-demand roles reaffirmed that the skills sought remain critical now and will continue into 2024, and the challenges posed by skill shortages are escalating.”</p>
<p>The roles identified in that top 10 list were:<br />
• Safety and compliance managers<br />
• Chief commercial officers (CCOs)<br />
• B1/B2 engineers<br />
• Quality managers<br />
• Airworthiness engineers<br />
• Operations controllers<br />
• Pilots<br />
• Training and development managers<br />
• NDT (non-destructive testing) technicians<br />
• Charter brokers</p>
<p>According to Bennell, 2024 will not necessarily be about new trends in aviation and airline recruitment but will be about recruitment teams understanding the trends and knowing how to act to be successful in attracting and retaining the right people. “With time to hire reaching unprecedented durations, the imperative to accelerate recruitment processes is no longer a choice but a necessity,” he declares.</p>
<p>“The impact of long notice periods and counteroffers is slowing down recruitment,” Simpson notes. “Counteroffers are now the norm. In the last 12 months, we have seen the most aggressive ever in aviation and airline recruitment. The renewed focus on retention has meant that while employers may once have been confident in rehiring, they now do everything they can to keep hold of people.</p>
<p>“With multiple job offers on the table for many candidates, the need for employers to let a successful candidate know quickly that they want to hire them has become imperative. A delay in feedback can increase the chances of a candidate attending other interviews and potentially receiving competing job offers. We advise employers to leave a candidate in no doubt when they want that person,” she remarks.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Bennell says that one of the biggest opportunities aviation has for recruitment in 2024 and beyond is to embrace hybrid working as a way to open up the talent marketplace. “It allows businesses to tap into pools beyond their immediate geographical location and is especially beneficial for businesses in regions with a heightened shortage of skilled workers in specific fields,” he argues.</p>
<p>“It also enables businesses to build diverse teams with people from a variety of different backgrounds, cultures and regions. Diversity can lead to a richer and more innovative work environment, as diverse perspectives contribute to creative problem-solving and decision-making,” Bennell posits.</p>
<p>France-based AFMAÉ (Association pour la Formation des Métiers de l’Aérien) trains mechanics, technicians and station agents through apprenticeships. It also has a range of training courses leading to professional qualifications for flight attendants. The organisation’s CEO, Magali Jobert, is another who views the aviation sector as being in full recovery while facing the challenge of recruiting qualified personnel. </p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="AFMAE image 3" src="/getasset/768e2b76-be42-402d-9229-4f1e03b17254/" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Photography courtesy of AFMAÉ </p>
<p>“Qualified personnel implies trained individuals, whether in the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) sector or in the customer/passenger relations sector. Training is an essential factor for the sector's recovery,” Jobert declares. “Also, aviation is a sector undergoing transformation, and methods, tools, and individuals are evolving. AFMAÉ adapts to these changes and the market to always provide qualified knowledge transmission to learners, tailored to the needs of businesses.”</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="AFMAE Image 1" src="/getasset/9fbfb784-247e-43d1-be63-bea38f7a342f/" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Photography courtesy of AFMAÉ</p>
<p>Jobert believes that to address the lack of resources, aviation must “activate other levers”, for example, by trying to attract professionals from other sectors. At AFMAÉ, this means that, in continuous training, the organisation offers “a range of courses that allow people who are distant from employment to return to the training and employment circuit”.</p>
<p>“We are part of a rich and varied ecosystem thanks to our partners and client companies. This allows us to deliver a hiring rate of 97% at the end of training, with the remaining 3% deciding to continue their studies. AFMAÉ records very few dropouts during the course,” Jobert states proudly.</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="training courses" src="/getasset/811de7e9-c070-4b43-9161-f85a903546e9/" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Photography courtesy of AFMAÉ </p>
<p>“Cautious optimism” is a phrase often used when predicting the outlook for an industry. The demand for travel has taken aviation beyond simple optimism to a real belief that growth is under way. Any caution remaining relates only to the industry’s ability to attract, train and retain its people.</p>