Will record-breaking hiring trends continue?

Major airlines hired 1,716 pilots in January and February, down from the pace set in the first two months of 2022 and 2023, when 2,082 and 2,256 pilots were hired, respectively, according to data compiled by Future and Active Pilot Advisors (FAPA).

According to Sam Scanlon, managing partner for JSfirm.com (a free online aviation job resource), the overall economy drove those record-high airline hiring trends. “Airlines created the voids in talent downstream,” Scanlon said. “If consumers continue to fly and pay the high prices, the void in talent will remain strong.”

Scanlon reported that JSfirm.com is still seeing lots of competition between air carriers and numerous job opportunities for both second-in-command and pilot-in-command roles available to pilots earlier in their careers than ever before.

“The ‘pay your dues’ culture amongst pilots is about completely gone now,” Scanlon said. “Any [pilots] with minimum qualifications and a clean background can find work in this market which has forced employers to lower minimums and expectations.

“The shortage has also affected the Director of Operations position,” Scanlon continued. “More employers are willing to hire Director of Operations that have a side gig, like flying Part 91 ops or managing an outside aircraft.”

Rising compensation and better benefits are expected to continue through the year in order to keep up with inflation, and to attract and maintain talent.

Timothy Genc, chief advisor and executive editor of FAPA, said, “Carriers were playing pilot hiring catchup over the last few years. That, along with some forward thinking, filled their classes with more pilots than they would’ve normally needed. Couple that with equipment issues and delayed orders, and the majors are relaxing their aggressive hiring drive.

“On the regional side,” Genc continued, “the pilots hired in late 2022 are now approaching Captain upgrade minimums. In theory, we should start seeing the captain crisis relaxing and the need for FOs growing. Only time will tell!”

Contributing to the downturn in hiring number projections, an internal memo from Southwest Airlines obtained by AirlineGeeks and reported by Avweb said that the company plans to pause all new hiring classes in 2024.

The memo stated, “Based on expected capacity growth beyond 2024, we’ve made the difficult decision to suspend Initial First Officer Training classes through the remainder of 2024 and defer job offers, beginning with our April classes.” In addition, Southwest is transferring those with conditional job offers to what the airline is calling a “deferred candidate pool.”

Earlier this year Southwest pilots approved an agreement that would provide an immediate 29.15-percent pay increase followed by 4-percent incremental pay increases through 2027 and a 3.25-percent raise in 2028.

Job postings are still on the rise, however. JSfirm.com confirmed that there has been a 20-percent increase in companies advertising jobs on the website and a 17-percent increase in job postings this year over last year with generous sign-on and relocation bonuses up to $175,000.

For those looking to enter the industry or searching for something new, networking is still the best way to go. “This is old advice,” Scanlon said. “But it remains true to this day. Industry professionals can inform you about parts of aviation that you do not yet understand. They can open your eyes to opportunities you may have not thought about. They can clue you in to un-advertised needs. Networking tools like LinkedIn are good, but nothing is better than direct contact. Network and always work as if your next employer is watching you. You never know when opportunity will present itself and who that person providing the opportunity will be.”