Singapore Aviation to Restore 90% of Workforce in 2022

DALLAS - After losing roughly a third of its more than 35,000 personnel during the pandemic, Singapore's aviation industry is expected to reclaim 85% to 90% of its pre-COVID-19 employment by the end of the year.

The goal comes from Chee Hong Tat, the country's Senior Minister of State for Transport, who said on Friday (May 27) that Singapore's aviation industry has initiated a recruitment push that would continue in the coming months to keep individuals interested in the recovering industry.

As border controls and required quarantines fade away, a new issue for global aviation emerges: rehiring workers quickly enough to cope with an already overstretched industry.

For starters, 2,000 employees will be hired during the OneAviation Careers employment fair, where he spoke.

OneAviation Carriers

Singapore, which has reopened its borders, is holding a two-day job expo from May 28 to June 1 that is aimed at everyone from grads to mid-career professionals, as well as former aviation personnel who left during the Covid issue. Changi Airport (SIN), which is frequently ranked the greatest in the world, has around 6,600 job openings.

The OneAviation Carriers event is being held at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre.

"This is the first of many more sector-wide efforts. We have to ensure that the sector has the manpower it needs to keep pace with the recovery of air travel and tourism," Mr. Tat said.

The goal is to persuade individuals to work in an industry that has been wiped out by the virus. Aviation workers have been badly struck by job losses and salary cuts, and many have moved on to less risky occupations. As a result, there isn't enough labor to handle the recovery adequately. Queues and aircraft delays have plagued Sydney Airport (SYD), while staff shortages at London's Heathrow Airport (LHR) have harmed British Airways (BA) Plc parent IAG SA's earnings.

The airport operator indicated that hiring at SIN will be centered on front-line passenger-service professions, cargo, retail, and cleaning. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), prior to Covid, air travel and spending by foreign tourists arriving in Singapore by air contributed 11.8% to the local economy and supported 375,000 employment.

Work on Terminal 5 at SIN has resumed after being suspended two years ago, while Terminal 2 is set to reopen this weekend. The airport's passenger volume has increased to about 50% of pre-Covid levels, up from less than 20% in mid-March.

Featured image: Singapore Airlines (SQ). Photo: Christian Winter/Airways