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Please find/create a breakdown of jobs within the airline industry. What I mean is, what percentage of airline employees are flight attendants vs. pilots vs. gate agents vs. baggage handlers, etc.? I want to know the biggest job segments within the airline industry.
Hello! Thanks for your inquiry on the employment breakdown within the airline industry.
The short version is that direct employment generated by the airline industry is estimated worldwide at 9.9 million, 2.5 million of those jobs (25%) in North America. The main segments of the employment generated by the airline industry are airline (27.1%), airport operators (4.5%), air navigation (2.2%), other on-airport employees (55.2%), and civil aerospace (11.0%).
Below you will find a deep dive of my research / findings along with all the details for how I came to this answer.
METHODOLOGY
In order to answer your inquiry, I looked into reports provided by key organizations in the air transport industry, such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG). From those reports, I extracted the key figures related to the industry and the generated employment, direct and indirect. Based on the employment figures, I calculated the shares of the main segments of the direct employment in the air transportation industry.
OVERVIEW OF THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY
The airline industry is huge. According to a recent report (June 2017) by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the revenue of the industry in 2016 was $705 billion and it is forecasted to reach $743 billion in 2017. It is expected that the airline industry will mobilize in 2017 4.09 billion passengers and 58.2 million freight tons in 37.5 million flights.
The airline industry comprises 1,402 commercial airlines with 26,065 commercial airplanes in service that utilize 3,883 airports with scheduled commercial flights.
OVERVIEW OF EMPLOYMENT IN THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY
Another report from IATA, also dated June 2017 (although based on 2014 figures from the industry), provides us with the following outlook into the employment generated by the airline industry, globally:
-Airlines, Airports, and Navigation Services: 8.9 million
-Civil Aerospace Sector: 1,1 million
-Goods and Services Providers: 11.2 million
-Jobs Induced by Spending by Industry Employees: 5.2 million
-Jobs Created by Industry Impact on Tourism: 36.3 million
Your inquiry focuses on the employment directly generated by the airline industry, which as stated above generates 9.9 million jobs worldwide. North America (US and Canada) accounts for 25% of that direct employment, i.e. 2.5 million.
EMPLOYMENT SEGMENTS IN THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY
The breakdown of the 9.9 million jobs generated by the airline industry is included in a July 2016 report issued by the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG), named “Aviation Benefits without Borders.”
-Airline Employees: Include flight and cabin crews, executives of the airlines, ground services, check-in, training, and maintenance employees.
-Airport Operators: Correspond to employees of the airport operators.
-Air Navigation: Employees of the air navigation service providers, including air controllers and executives.
-Other on-Airport Employees: Include employment generated by those activities around airports, such as retail jobs, car rental, government agencies (customs, immigration), freight forwarders, and catering (excluding airline ground services).
-Civil Aerospace Employees: This category comprises engineers and designers of civil aircraft, including engines and other components.
The breakdown in absolute numbers is as follows (numbers may not add up exactly because of rounding):
Airport Operators: 0.45 million
Air Navigation: 0.22 million
Other on-Airport Employees: 5.5 million
Civil Aerospace Employees: 1.1 million
Thus, the segmentation in percentages is indicated below:
Airline Employees: 27.1%
Airport Operators: 4.5%
Air Navigation: 2.2%
Other on-Airport Employees: 55.2%
Civil Aerospace Employees: 11.0%
SEGMENTATION OF EMPLOYMENT AT AIRPORTS
A report on the economic impact of airports includes a breakdown of the employment generated at European airports, which we can reasonably assume as similar to that in US airports. The segmentation of employment at airports is as follows:
Ground Handling (ramp crew, baggage, catering, fueling): 14%
Ground Transport: 5% (buses, taxis, limousine, rail)
Maintenance (MRO): 6% (maintenance, repair, and operations)
Airport - Air Traffic Control: 14% (airport operators, air controllers & authorities)
Security/Screening: 6% (airport security and passenger screening)
Customs/Immigration/Other Govt.: 5% (customs, immigration, police, fire)
Food & Beverage: 8% (restaurants, kiosks, fast food)
Retail/Other in-Terminal Services: 6% (airport concessions, car rental)
Other: 7% (engineers, janitorial, parking, etc.)
AIR TRANSPORTATION EMPLOYMENT IN THE US
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) provides statistics on employment related to the broad category of air transportation, which corresponds to the NAICS code 481000.
According to BLS, the total employment in air transportation is 463,780, far lower than that stated by other sources, which estimate the North American employment at 2.5 million. The discrepancy is due to the classification of those jobs in sectors such as retail, food, security, etc., which are not specifically classified as part of the “air transportation” industry in official statistics.
Therefore, the data provided by BLS refers only to employment explicitly designed as air-transportation related. It is an authoritative source in case you want to go further and obtain a more granular segmentation of, for instance, airline employees. In that case, you will see under the code 53-2000, air transportation workers, the number of pilots, flight attendants, etc.
CONCLUSION
Summarizing, direct employment generated by the airline industry is estimated worldwide at 9.9 million, 2.5 million of those jobs (25%) in North America. The main segments of the employment generated by the airline industry are airline (27.1%), airport operators (4.5%), air navigation (2.2%), other on-airport employees (55.2%), and civil aerospace (11.0%).
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