may2022 - 6

Editor's Note
JOSH SMITH
josh@AviationPros.com
+1 920-563-1644
LinkedIn
How Should We Address the Labor Shortage?
Staffing skilled employees is a significant challenge facing aviation and
the ground handling sector, but efforts are being taken to attract new
personnel to the industry.
W
elcome to our annual Leaders of the Year
issue. We hope you enjoy learning more about
this year's winners.
When we visited with Team Leader of the
Year Kenny Gibson, he shared a few examples of how he is
working to welcome young people to Banyan Air Service and
introduce them to career paths within the aviation industry.
Staffing skilled employees is a significant challenge facing
the ground handling industry - and aviation as a whole. The
ground handling labor shortage was a critical
topic throughout the panel discussions
during the 6th GHI Americas Conference.
As some ground handling personnel
are leaving the industry to take jobs that
may pay better or are less demanding,
David Barker, divisional senior vice president
of airport operations at dnata, said
it is important to re-evaluate how we look
at careers in the ground handling sector.
He encouraged attendees to consider this
work as a profession - not a job - and invest in the career path
of employees.
He noted ground handling entities are harming one another
by undercutting each other in shared markets.
" It's ok to compete, but we should not be competing for minimum
wage, " Barker said. " It's not about competition. It's about
being aviation professionals. "
Glyn Hughes, director general of The International Air
Cargo Association (TIACA), said the need to attract the next
generation of the workforce is paramount to the industry's
success. He added the industry needs to do a better job of
appealing to women, who make up 50 percent of the world's
population but are not represented to the same degree in
ground handling.
Robert Fordree, executive vice president of cargo at Menzies
Aviation, encouraged the industry to accelerate the
use of technology as a way to attract the next generation of
the workforce.
6 || Ground Support Worldwide || May 2022
" We do have future growth potential - enormous growth
potential, " he said. " We can make it an attractive business. "
On the topic of new technology, innovation in ground
support equipment (GSE) is also critical for the ground handling
industry.
Michael Bloomfield, chairman of the International Airport
Equipment Manufacturers' Association (IAEMA), highlighted
key trends in the GSE space. Among these trends, autonomous
technology is being incorporated into ground support equipment
to help with menial tasks around the
ramp and help overcome labor shortages.
Elsewhere on the labor front, the U.S.
House of Representatives' House Transportation
and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee
reviewed and approved a bill that
aims to establish a National Center for the
Advancement of Aviation, which would
bring together stakeholders from across
the military and private sectors of aviation
to provide STEM-focused resources
to high school and collegiate curriculum developers, among
other goals.
The bill, H.R. 3482, was introduced in May 2021. Companion
legislation in the U.S. Senate was introduced in Feb. 2020. The
bill now moves to the House floor for deliberation.
" NBAA is totally committed to promoting the development
of our industry's future workforce and we look forward to
doing all we can to ensure passage of this legislation, " NBAA
President Ed Bolen said.
Is the solution to aviation's labor shortage better employee
recruitment and retention or turning to technology and
automation to lighten the workload? The answer is likely a
bit of both.
How is your business approaching the ground handling
labor shortage?
Please reach out to me at josh@AviationPros.com with specific
examples. I welcome your feedback on the topic.
may2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of may2022
