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According to the AIA, things have been significantly improving post-pandemic. There are 2.2 million workers in the sector—that makes up 1.47% of the total number of employed people in the USA. Within the industry, 57% of employees work for commercial aerospace and its supply chain, while 43% are with defense and security.
These employees are spread out around the industry’s four subsectors. Aeronautics and aircraft is the largest, with around 603,000 employees. Land and sea systems employs 155,000 people, while the space industry subsector has 811,000 workers. The final 94,000 work in the cyber subsector. The average salary is around $108,900, which is 55% higher than the national average.
The industry’s workforce brought in an impressive $952 billion in sales in 2022, showing a growth of 6.7% from the year prior. The economic value rang in at $418 billion, which is 1.65% of the USA’s total GDP. The trade balance was valued at $77.3 billion, and the total exports were worth $104.8 billion.
It has to be said, however, that none of this would be possible without the workers—which is why AIA’s report stresses that more attention should be given to ensuring employees have job satisfaction.
Work Trends in the Aerospace and Defense Industry—Summary
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The AIA report shows five key areas where A&D companies could do with a little work so that their employees feel appreciated, needed, and capable of doing their jobs the best they can. Despite being viewed in a positive overall light, the industry suffers from a high employee turnover, something that wastes both time and money, and can even set important projects back.
To turn things around, companies need to concentrate on proper and efficient workforce management, strategic planning, as well as employee empowerment, skill development, resource provision, and ongoing training and learning. It all boils down to thinking about long-term capabilities, rather than short-term fixes.
