Job growth in the US aerospace industry continued in the third quarter this year, carrying on the rebound since it hit a 50-year employment low in February, according to the latest statistics from the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA).
Since June, aerospace companies have added around 7,500 new jobs, bringing employment in the industry to around 587,600 people in the USA.
Indicators such as increased overtime hours, wages, orders and sales all indicate the hiring trend is likely to continue, according to AIA head of research David Napier.
"Employment has continued to go up, which we're very glad about," he says. "It's a reflection of a turnaround in the two large markets. Military sales have been increasing for a couple of years, but the breaking news is that commercial orders and sales have stopped sliding and started to grow.
"The third quarter figures show a huge bump-up in the civil orders and if you were to look behind the figures, you would probably see the 7E7 final orders being placed."
The number of US aerospace jobs fell to a 50-year low of 568,700 in February.
"We thought the turnaround would come in 2005-6," says Napier, "but it looks like it's happening now."
AIA president Jon Douglass says: "It's great to see employment in our vital industry continuing to increase. It's important that aerospace remains as a cornerstone in our national economy."
He also says the increased demand for workers shows a need to redouble efforts to attract youngsters to the industry.
Source: Flight International
