Airlines for America officials maintain recently released Department of Labor statistics point to the airline industry as a contributor to the nation’s job and wage growth.
“Airlines connect the world like no other industry can and they are putting America to work,” Rebecca Spicer, Airlines for America senior vice president of Communications, said. “Airlines recently reported the 58th consecutive month of employment gains – and these are well-paying jobs with good benefits.”
Passenger and cargo airlines currently employ 720,000 men and women, which translates to 2.9 percent more than a year ago, officials said. The nation’s airlines currently employ the highest number of workers since 2000.
The Department of Labor’s numbers also reflect the airline industry is outpacing the rest of the economy in wage growth, detailing the average wage of airline employees surpassed $89,000 last year, which is 46 percent higher than the private sector average.
“The workforce is the airline industry’s greatest asset,” Spicer said. “That’s why both passenger and cargo carriers are making significant investments in their employees.”
Passenger airlines spent $37 billion on wages and benefits in the first nine months of this year, a rise of $2.1 billion or 5.9 percent from the same period in 2017.