US Airlines Add Over 2,500 Jobs In February
It was the 22nd consecutive month of job growth in the industry.
On Monday, the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that the nation’s airline industry added nearly 2,700 jobs in February 2023, representing a significant rebound from the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the jobs, the number of current airline employees totaled more than 700,000.
The increase is part of an upward trend in employment numbers since February 2021. The DOT also included calculations of full-time equivalents, which also seemed to increase since pandemic restrictions eased.
Hundreds of thousands of workers
Employment among passenger and cargo airlines in February increased to 790,657 workers, according to the DOT. That result is 2,687 or 0.34% more workers than the previous month, which totaled 787,970. It is 59,661 or 8.16% more compared to February 2019, in which only 730,996 people worked at the airlines.
508,450 employees across all passenger airlines with scheduled service were employed in February 2023, representing 65% of the industry-wide total. In the same month, 4,696 new workers were hired at passenger airlines, the 22nd consecutive month of job growth dating back to May 2021.
Inside the numbers
Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines added 1,338 employees, making it the leading passenger carrier in February. Dallas-based Southwest Airlines hired 1,134 workers, and Chicago-based United Airlines welcomed 1,082 new hires.
For cargo carriers, 277,999 workers were employed in February 2023, which was 35% of the industry total, according to the DOT. Despite those numbers, the airlines also lost 1,372 employees during the same month, with FedEx, the leading air cargo employer, decreasing its workforce by 1,582 jobs.
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Comparable workloads
The DOT’s report also included the statistics of full-time equivalents (FTEs).
To calculate the FTEs, the Bureau of Transportation (BTS) divided the number of part-time employees by two and added that figure to the number of full-time workers in the industry.
“The February 2023 industry-wide numbers include 679,578 full-time and 111,079 part-time workers for a total of 735,118 FTEs, an increase from January of 2,785 FTEs (0.38%),” the DOT explained. “February 2023’s total number of FTEs remains just 9.44% above pre-pandemic February 2019’s 671,701 FTEs.”
The more than 20 passenger airlines also had more FTEs in February compared to the previous month and pre-pandemic levels.
“The 26 U.S. scheduled passenger airlines reporting data for February 2023 employed 482,271 FTEs, 4,543 FTEs (0.95%) more than in January 2023,” said the DOT. “February 2023’s total number of scheduled passenger airline FTEs is 39,493 FTEs (8.92%) above pre-pandemic February 2019.”
Nearly 250,000 FTEs were employed by cargo carriers in February 2023, a decrease of 1,187 FTEs or 0.47% from January 2023. However, compared to levels before the pandemic in February 2019, FTEs have increased by 23,929 or 10.65%, according to the DOT.
Additional information, including data by the categories of passenger airlines, is displayed in figures on the DOT’s website. The statistics are as of March 6, 2023, and were reportedly compiled from monthly reports filed with the BTS.
Additional job growth is expected across the industry in 2023 as airlines continue to restore their operations. Ultra-low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines recently announced its plan to hire over 4,000 new employees this year.
