Aviation workforce challenge

Congress passed comprehensive legislation in late 2018 to take a multifaceted approach to address the aviation workforce shortage concerns, but now, those same lawmakers are keeping a spotlight on the issue as the numbers surrounding future employment needs remain daunting. “Challenges in sustaining this workforce are looming, if not already upon us,” said House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman Pete DeFazio (D-Oregon) in testimony for a recent aviation subcommittee hearing. Citing FAA data, DeFazio noted half of the 330,000 aviation maintenance technicians in the U.S. were between 50 and 70 years old at the end of 2018. The Labor Department, meanwhile, is predicting that roughly 11,800 maintenance and technician jobs will need to be filled each year over the next decade, but the FAA has only certified about 8,600 per year over the last four years. In all, the industry is estimating a need for 193,000 new mechanics and technicians in North America over the next 20 years, DeFazio added. (Source: AIN Online 02/19/20) https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2020-02-19/us-congress-keeps-spotlight-aviation-workforce-issues