The U.S. Department of Transportation recently launched its Aviation Manufacturing Jobs Protection (AMJP) program.
The program, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, provides funding to eligible businesses to pay up to half of their compensation costs for up to six months for certain categories of employees.
In exchange for receiving AMJP funds, a company must make several commitments, including agreeing not to lay off employees or furlough employees without their consent during the same six-month period.
Companies must meet a list of criteria including having a significant portion of operations based in the United States; when applying, must not be expending financial assistance under the paycheck protection program established in the Small Business Act; and must have experienced at least a 15 percent decline in 2020 revenue compared to 2019 or involuntarily furloughed or laid off at least 10 percent of its workforce compared to 2019.
The aerospace industry employed approximately 2.2 million workers before the pandemic, including 1.2 million in the supply chain. Since the pandemic began, more than 100,000 jobs have been lost, and thousands more are estimated at risk.
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 was enacted on March 11.