Aerospace employment is up 4.6 percent. Here is who a 594,500 worker industry cannot find.

How fast is aerospace employment growing?

Faster than any large manufacturing industry we track. Aerospace product and parts manufacturing (NAICS 3364) added 26,000 jobs between July 2025 and July 2026. All of manufacturing added 23,000 over the 12 months to August. In other words, one industry with less than 5 percent of factory employment accounted for more than the entire net gain in factory jobs.

The Aerospace Industries Association sizes the whole sector, including defense electronics, space and the supply chain, at $988.6 billion in 2025 sales, 2.1 million jobs supported, 930,000 direct employees and an average wage above $127,000. About two thirds of direct employees are in technical roles.

What is driving demand?

Commercial rate increases and defense money at the same time. Boeing reported second quarter 2026 revenue of $24.6 billion, up 8 percent, a record total backlog of $715 billion including more than 6,200 commercial airplanes, and said the 737 line began transitioning to 47 a month during the quarter. Through August, Boeing had delivered 418 commercial airplanes in 2026, the highest January to August total since 2018, and Airbus 475, up 9 percent, with full year guidance of about 870. Airbus is targeting a single aisle rate of 75 a month by the end of 2027, which keeps its US suppliers and its Alabama line on a ramp through next year.

On the defense side, the FY2026 appropriations act enacted February 3, 2026 provided $839.2 billion in discretionary national defense funding, and the reconciliation law added $152.3 billion of multiyear money for the Department of Defense, roughly $25 billion of it for munitions and $29 billion for shipbuilding. Hiring plans follow the funding: General Dynamics Electric Boat aims to hire 8,000 people in 2026 and is expanding a Rhode Island center to train about 3,000 new welders, shipfitters, pipefitters, machinists and electricians. RTX's Raytheon won a $22.9 billion, seven year Tomahawk contract on August 17 and is lifting output above 1,000 missiles a year. GE Aerospace plans 5,000 US hires in 2026 on top of 5,000 in 2025, and on September 8 agreed to buy castings maker Consolidated Precision Products for $11.75 billion, citing "strong simultaneous demand across commercial engines, aftermarket and defense."

Who can the industry not find?

The AIA and McKinsey study of more than 30 aerospace and defense organizations representing over 600,000 US employees found attrition of nearly 15 percent in 2024, more than double the average across other US industries, with engineering and skilled trades the hardest roles to fill. Boeing's 2026 Pilot and Technician Outlook projects a need for 728,000 new maintenance technicians worldwide through 2045, two thirds of them to replace retirees and attrition. The Aviation Technician Education Council reports the FAA issued slightly more than 9,000 new airframe and powerplant certificates in 2024, down 4 percent from the 2023 record, and projects a certificated mechanic shortfall of 10 percent in 2025 narrowing to 7 percent by 2035, still about 10,000 mechanics short.

Forecast International's September 1 production report adds a caution: the binding constraint on deliveries right now is engines, castings and cabin seats, not labor. That is why GE bought a foundry company, and why the trades that make, machine and inspect castings are where the next hiring wave lands.

What screens do aerospace roles require?

Three requirements shape who can be placed. First, export controls: under 22 CFR 120.62 a "US person" for ITAR purposes includes citizens, lawful permanent residents and protected individuals, so a staffing firm must document status without over screening; asking only for citizenship excludes people who legally qualify. Second, drug and alcohol testing: 14 CFR 120.105 covers aircraft maintenance for Part 121, 135 or 145 employers and applies to temporary and contract employees hired "directly or by contract (including by subcontract at any tier)." Third, quality systems: AS9100 is required by essentially every OEM of its suppliers and AS9102 governs first article inspection. Security clearances are sponsored by the employer of record and adjudicated by DCSA, which makes cleared roles the slowest to fill through any third party.

Where are the jobs?

Five states, California, Washington, Texas, Florida and Kansas, hold 44 percent of aerospace and defense employment (AIA). The fastest growth over the year to July 2026 was in Washington, up 7.2 percent on the 737 rate increase, and Florida, up 5.9 percent; Texas employed 52,200, up 2.0 percent. The supplier base is spread far wider: Georgia counted 24,774 aerospace manufacturing employees in 2025, South Carolina 9,105 and Michigan 6,607, the last almost entirely machining, castings, tooling and harness work feeding programs elsewhere.

What to watch

• Whether the August 2026 value for BLS series CES3133640001 extends the streak.
• FY2027 defense appropriations. A continuing resolution runs through December 11, 2026, and the $350 billion reconciliation piece has no bill. Funded munitions and shipbuilding lines keep hiring; new starts wait.
• Boeing's next 737 rate step and the 787 line's return to 10 a month, which depends on engine deliveries.

Production note: drafted from the primary sources listed above with AI assistance, then reviewed and edited by Kenneth Cuzelis before publication. Read how we source and grade every number. Corrections: info@c3workforce.com or (734) 552-5731.