|
 Boeing Co, for instance, expects a large percentage of its U.S.
workers to retire in a few years and does not see a ready pool of
replacements, said Dennis Muilenburg, president and chief operating
officer.
"If we look at the demographics of our workforce across Boeing and
much of the aerospace industry, about 50 percent of our top
engineers and mechanics will be eligible to retire over roughly the
next five years," Muilenburg told lawmakers at a U.S. Senate
Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security.
The Senate panel met to consider what the government can do to
maintain the lead positions of the U.S. aerospace and aviation
industries as global competitors advance.
Boeing's main competitor is Europe-based Airbus Group.
Workforce development, regulatory issues and the need for more
modern infrastructure were among the topics discussed.
The Federal Aviation Administration, responsible for the safety and
regulation of U.S. civil aviation, also faces a staffing crisis, a
labor official told lawmakers.
"One third of the (FAA) workforce, including controllers, inspectors
(and) systems specialists are eligible to retire," said Edward
Wytkind, president of the Transportation Trades Department at
AFL-CIO.
"This is unsustainable and must be addressed because we believe it's
going to not only impact operations for the airline industry, but
also the safety of the system as you see this brain-drain of high
quality people retiring and we're not hiring and replacing them fast
enough," Wytkind said. Encouraging science, technology,
engineering and math (STEM) education for U.S. children at an early
age could help create a pipeline of qualified engineers, the
officials said.
[to top of second column] |
"We have about 4 million children entering kindergarten this year.
At current rates, that would produce about 60,000 to 70,000
engineers at the end of college," Muilenburg said. "That's not even
enough to satisfy the aerospace industry, let alone all sectors that
need engineers."
The aviation industry wants to position for growth as the U.S.
economy continues to recover and air travel picks up. The U.S.
Transportation Department on Thursday reported a 6.1 percent rise in
airline travel in 2013.
Separately, the FAA projected on Thursday that the total number of
people flying on U.S. carriers will surge to 1.15 billion in 2034
from 745.5 million people in 2014.
Officials said the aviation and aerospace industries urgently need
better technology and new highly skilled workers to meet this
growing demand.
"We are seeing competitors move up behind us. You can hear the feet,
you can feel the hot breaths," said Marion Blakey, chief executive
of the Aerospace Industries Association.
(Editing by Ros Krasny and Eric Walsh)
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