Key Trends in Aviation Recruitment for 2025 and Beyond

When the COVID-19 pandemic reached its endemic stages, the aviation industry was one of the first industries to suffer a setback. According to a report by McKinsey & Company, airlines hemorrhaged a whopping $168 billion in economic losses in 2020. But the industry weathered on. Despite the struggle to overcome parts shortages and workforce challenges, airline traffic levels are rebounding to pre-pandemic levels. ATC World, a leading electronic payments company, projects that global passenger traffic will surpass 10 billion passengers by 2025. 

What does this surge mean for the industry as a whole? How is this growth, alongside advancements in technology and sustainability, reshaping the hiring process in the aviation industry? Handling these operations requires personnel, both on board the aircraft and on the ground. But with so much happening in aviation, saying ahead requires a revisit to how recruitment is carried out. In this blog, we take a closer look at key developments.

1. AI-powered Pre-Screening

Much of the time of hiring managers in aviation goes into screening resumes, especially for more specialized roles, such as an FAA-certified mechanic or a Part 135 pilot. AI can take over the initial process of conducting video interviews to analyze candidates' responses and provide insights to the hiring team. AI models can even assess tone, confidence, and technical knowledge, providing HR teams with data-backed hiring recommendations.

While HR professionals get to save hours of pre-screening time, these AI models' interview summaries help standardize evaluations across hiring teams.

2. Predictive Workforce Planning

While AI is changing how candidates are screened, it is also helping recruiters plan their long-term workforce strategies. Let’s talk about LLMs! Large Language Models, or LLMs, are advanced AI systems that use deep learning to understand and translate human language. And LLMs can transform how recruitment is undertaken in aviation. These AI systems can analyse pilot shortages, engineer retirements, and even predict labour gaps in advance. 

By utilizing AI tools that leverage large language models (LLMs), HR teams can easily forecast hiring needs. It can also help them target recruitment efforts for high-demand roles, such as avionics engineers, before shortages become critical.

3. Renewed Focus on Diversity and Inclusion

For decades, the aviation industry has lagged in diversity initiatives. Recruiters in this field are beginning to recognize the gap, particularly in senior leadership positions. The issue gains a particular focus in the face of changing dynamics. Genuine diversity and inclusion can lead to better decision-making and profit. 

As we move forward, we will see more employers showcasing the wide range of career opportunities that aviation has to offer. However, this is not all. Many players in the aviation field have also started showcasing male allies to enhance the diversity quotient, ensuring that everyone is included in this journey towards a more inclusive and diverse industry.

4. Investment in Workforce Development

The aviation industry is rapidly embracing digital technologies to maintain safety and efficiency in aircraft and airline operations. While the ready adoption of digital technologies is reaping benefits for airlines in areas such as air traffic control, customer experience, and performance optimization, they also face a shortage of aviation specialists skilled in using these new-age tools. According to the Boeing Pilot and Technician Outlook, the industry will require 674,000 new pilots, 716,000 new maintenance technicians, and 980,000 new cabin crew members to fly and maintain the global commercial fleet over the next 20 years.

Professionals who fail to jump onto the upskilling bandwagon risk being left behind. However, airline operators are doing their part by investing heavily in workforce development, offering specialized training in AI, cybersecurity, and other emerging technologies. Many have begun collaborating with academic institutions to develop tailored curricula. These efforts are focused on enabling their workforce to be ready for a tech-centric future.

5. Evolving Employee Expectations

The global workforce is undergoing a significant shift in generations. Now, millennials and Generation Z are the dominant cohorts. Both cohorts share a common link in terms of work-life balance, environmental concerns, global issues, and the need for digital integration. Recruiters in the aviation industry can attract such talent by streamlining the application process, offering remote work options, and facilitating quicker hiring decisions. AI-powered candidate screening, automated interviews, and digital assessments will not only enhance the candidate experience but also improve the overall efficiency of the hiring process.

Attracting and retaining them will require recruiters to focus on inculcating an adaptable environment that fosters continuous feedback, collaboration, and innovation. It will also help aviation employers to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving industry. 

6. Spotlighting Sustainability

With the aviation sector responsible for a significant share of global carbon emissions, there is a stronger push to create roles that lead to more sustainable aviation practices. For instance, a SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) specialist is an emerging role that focuses on researching, developing, producing, and distributing fuels derived from renewable sources, such as plant oils, waste products, and algae. Recruiters are also seeking data analysts and sustainability managers to assist their employers in tracking emissions, analyzing data, and developing strategies to reduce the industry's carbon footprint. 

There are numerous long-term benefits to redirecting the focus on hiring for sustainability-related roles. One, it can help the industry achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, an ambitious goal that requires a complete shift in how planes are powered and operated. Roles in sustainable operations can ensure long-term business viability, allowing airline operators to reduce their reliance on non-renewable resources. And third, it can lead to higher employee morale. Tied to our last point, sustainability initiatives can help the new cohort of employees feel proud to be part of a company that prioritizes the environment. It can lead to higher job satisfaction and a better employee retention rate.

Can Tech Fix Challenges in Aviation Recruitment?

As a whole, the aviation industry is witnessing substantial improvements in all areas, including recruitment. But for the recruitment managers, several challenges pose a risk of disrupting the operational process. The first are recruitment drives that often result in huge crowds in walk-in venues, making it challenging to manage applicants and process their information efficiently. Candidates also face inconsistent testing conditions when different individuals administer assessments. This leads to inconsistent results, ultimately rendering the recruitment process ineffective. 

While digitization is opening the industry to newer ways of keeping records, many are yet to shift from legacy systems. Hiring in the aviation sector often involves manual coordination for tasks like screening, testing, and interviews, which slows down the process and increases the risk of miscommunication or delays. This reliance on manual intervention limits the overall efficiency of the hiring process.

So, can technological advances solve these issues? In short, yes. But it also depends on how recruiters in this field utilize these tools. But one thing is for sure. These tools can help automate tasks such as candidate screening, interview scheduling, and data analysis, resulting in more effective workforce planning and improved candidate experiences. When hiring managers have more time available, they can focus on strategizing and implementing a new recruitment framework.

In a Nutshell

The world is changing, and so are the ways we do business. To understand how we arrived at this point, it’s worth revisiting our 2024 blog on aviation recruitment trends, which outlines the early shifts that laid the groundwork for today's recruitment landscape.

Amidst the wide-ranging shifts in aviation, keeping an eye on trends can help recruiters and airlines stay competitive, innovative, and informed about the market. It is undeniable that AI will need to be integrated into how recruitments are undertaken. Still, HR professionals in this field should also continue to focus on hiring for sustainability roles and empowering their workforce to upskill during this period of uncertainty. Those who lean into change will not only thrive through uncertainty but redefine the future of the industries they serve.