Forecast: Aviation Faces New Workforce Need of 1.3M

According to aviation training company CAE (NYSE: CAE), which released its Aviation Talent Forecast this week at the Paris Air Show, commercial aviation will need to recruit nearly 600,000 cabin crew professionals, 328,000 maintenance technicians, and 252,000 pilots within the next 10 years in order to support predicted growth. In business aviation, at least 74,000 maintenance technicians and 32,000 pilots will be needed.

"There is a need for at least 1.3 million people by 2032 to fill the needs in aviation," said Nick Leontidis, CAE’s group president of civil aviation. "CAE’s Aviation Talent Forecast is a call to action for the industry to promote careers in aviation to the next generation, reach out to underrepresented communities, and develop innovative support programs to expand the pool of talent needed for the continued growth and safety of our industry.”

Leontidis added that commercial and business aviation are near full recovery and, in some cases, exceeding pre-pandemic levels.

"CAE’s Aviation Talent Forecast shows that the demand will continue to grow," he said, "and the industry will have to come together and find creative ways to ensure a steady pipeline of highly trained personnel for the next 10 years and beyond.”

The Aviation Talent Forecast is a tool for stakeholders to help determine the demand for aviation professionals worldwide. Not only does the forecast look at the demand for pilots, it also, for the first time, explores the need for aircraft maintenance technicians and cabin crew.

According to CAE, it not only focuses on how many people will be needed in each region over the next decade but also on the reasons for the high demand and what the industry can do to attract and retain these professionals.