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UK aerospace faces engineer shortage as AI competes for talent
The Royal Aeronautical Society said fewer than 10% of licensed aerospace engineers in Britain are under 30, even as the sector grew 31% over the past decade.
Reuters reports that aerospace and defence companies are trying to attract younger recruits at this week’s Farnborough International Airshow, but industry groups say the talent pool is shrinking as AI and other newer technologies draw workers elsewhere. A March report by the Royal Aeronautical Society found that more than 50% of licensed aerospace engineers in Britain are older than 50, with fewer than 10% under 30, while the UK sector faces a shortage of around 10,000 specialized engineers per year. According to Reuters, the aerospace sector has expanded 31% over the last decade, but the hiring pipeline has not kept pace, a gap highlighted by the ADS trade group. Kevin Craven, ADS chief executive, said the industry has had skilled worker shortages despite year over year growth and noted potential ways to pull in younger engineers, including innovation in flying taxis and sustainability. Reuters also points to workforce and training changes, including that many companies scrapped feeder apprenticeship programmes in cost-saving moves and replaced them with shorter paths. The sector’s record order backlog adds pressure as Boeing and Airbus and other firms work to ramp output while expert engineers approach retirement.