The aviation industry has been in a strange position since the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic’s peak, airlines were forced to reduce their operations due to travel restrictions. Once restrictions were lifted, pent-up demand surged, and the industry struggled to respond. This market whiplash has also had downstream effects for the aviation and aerospace industries.
One jarring effect of the pandemic was on the aviation industry’s labor market. During COVID shutdowns, companies across the industry were forced to deal with a steep drop in demand and unprecedented uncertainty. In the commercial airline industry, major airlines presented early retirement packages to their workers, encouraging them to exit the workforce. By May 2020, approximately 100,000 staff members had retired from American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, according to Forbes. At the time, airlines struggled to stay in business, and they made massive cuts in staffing to match the drop-off in demand.
But when travel constraints were removed, it unleashed an historic surge in demand for air travel. Stripped-down and bare-bones operations were then pushed into a highly competitive labor market, where employers in the aviation industry were forced to vie for a limited pool of potential candidates. From maintenance workers to pilots, the industry requires millions of workers stationed around the globe. Companies in the industry have been compelled to use every single tool at their disposal in order to hire and retain leading talent.
One particularly attractive solution has been the use of staffing services. Aviation staffing agencies specialize in locating, attracting, hiring and onboarding best-fit talent for organizations within the industry. Aviation staffing firms don’t provide their services for free, but they can provide a massive return on a client’s investment.
4 Reasons Why Airline Companies Should Partner with an Aviation Staffing Agency
It’s understandable if you are skeptical about working with an aviation staffing agency. However, you may not completely comprehend the full scope of benefits that comes with such a partnership. The following four benefits are major reasons your company should partner with an agency.
1) Aviation Staffing Agencies Provide Airline Companies the Competitive Lead
Flight cancellations have soared in recent years, and the airline industry is gaining a reputation in some quarters for being unreliable. Frustrated customers are paying more attention than ever to which companies are still able to deliver a great service and which ones are struggling to do so. Simply put, the pressure is on across the entire aviation industry.
Companies in the industry can take a competitive lead by leveraging the services of an aviation staffing agency. These agencies have the tools and resources to help their clients hire and retain superior staff members. For example, in-house teams that use outdated methods to process applications or methods not tailored to the aviation industry will have limited capacity to identify top candidates based on the most important qualifications.
By comparison, aviation staffing firms employ the latest sourcing and screening methods tailored to the industry based on many years of experience. These companies also support an expedited hiring process, reducing the number of promising candidates who drop out of the process due to competing offers or frustration.
2) Airline Companies Save Costs by Connecting with an Aviation Recruitment Agency in Wichita
Although there is a cost associated with staffing agencies, there are several ways in which an aviation staffing company can save money for a client company.
First and foremost, an aviation staffing agency can reduce costs by reducing the number of bad hires. When a new employee turns out to be a bad hire, it can cost your company as much as three times the annual salary for that position. Aviation staffing agencies help their clients avoid this costly mistake by cultivating a talent pool from which best-fit candidates can be selected. Staffing agencies also use their expertise to thoroughly screen candidates so that their clients only need to evaluate candidates with the best chance for success. With the help of an aviation staffing agency, companies are best positioned to hire people with the ideal skills and experience. Staffing agencies are also adept at providing companies with candidates that are most likely to fit into an existing work culture, which significantly reduces the risk of making a bad hire.
An aviation staffing agency also reduces costs by keeping a lid on overtime pay. If your company laid off staff during the pandemic, you might be in the position of paying overtime in order to meet resurgent demand. Obviously, this is a very expensive way to meet surging demand. An aviation staffing company can both supply your company with temporary help and assist in the direct hire of full-time employees.
A staffing firm can also help your company transfer fixed costs to variable costs. For most businesses in the aviation industry, labor is the largest expense, and it is a fixed cost. Companies with fluctuating workloads can reduce this fixed cost by eliminating non-essential permanent positions and meeting demand during peak times with a temporary staffing solution. This cost-cutting approach is most effective for companies that experience occasional large surges in demand.
3) Knowledge of the Aviation Industry to Recruit Leading Professionals
Staffing agencies specializing in aviation have their finger on the pulse of the industry. Using their specialized connections, knowledge and experience, aviation staffing agencies have the inside track on the latest developments. They can see emerging trends in the labor market based on the latest news. Because they are mostly focused on in-house issues, HR teams can’t focus on industry developments the way an agency can.
Specialized knowledge also helps aviation staffing agencies find best-fit top talent, especially for hard-to-fill positions. This starts with having a large pool of suitable candidates that can be easily tapped into when needed. The job of an agency recruiter is to build relationships with talented people in the aviation industry. These relationships help them quickly find people with unique talents. The result is not only being able to fill unique positions but also being able to fill them through an expedited hiring process.
Knowledge of the aviation industry also helps a staffing agency recommend competitive compensation packages for direct hires. These packages are designed to not only hire but also retain full-time employees while ensuring labor costs are kept at appropriate levels.
4) Aviation Recruiters Have Access to Top Notch Recruiting Systems and Technology
Because aviation staffing agencies are in the business of recruiting the best candidates for their clients, it is their business to also make major investments in recruiting systems and technology. In particular, recruiting software can help streamline the process, from sourcing candidates to engaging and screening them. Modern recruitment tools can include:
- Job placement software. This software automatically posts job ads on job boards, recruiting platforms and social media, such as ZipRecruiter, Indeed and LinkedIn.
- Recruitment CRM. Customer relationship management (CRM) tools are typically used to track interactions with customers, but recruitment CRMs are specifically designed to build a contact database and keep it organized. Specialized staffing agencies are much more likely to invest in this type of software than HR departments.
- Applicant tracking software. Applicant tracking software is the workhorse of any modern hiring process. Specialized staffing agencies have experienced personnel who know how to get the most out of and ATS, from having targeted interactions with candidates to tracking the onboarding process.
Connect with an Aviation Recruiter in Wichita to Find or Fill Aviation Jobs
If you are looking to fill aviation positions in Wichita, KS, Top Notch Personnel is your go-to staffing and recruitment agency for specializing in aviation.
Local industry leaders know they can trust Top Notch Personnel when it comes to aviation staffing. With more than 50 years of combined experience, our recruiters know the local job market inside and out. Our staff members also understand the ebbs and flows of the local aviation industry. It’s true that the COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented disruption to the industry. Still, we have been using time-tested best practices to help local aviation businesses adapt and take advantage of the current demand.
We understand the importance of the local aircraft manufacturing industry, and we pride ourselves on being one of the top agencies for aircraft recruitment in Wichita, KS. Our team of experienced aviation recruiters is dedicated to finding the best candidates for our clients’ open positions. Our staff members can move quickly to fill critical roles and help our clients plan their long-term workforce strategy through temporary, contract, temp-to-hire and direct hire services. We also provide payroll processing services to aviation companies to simplify their bookkeeping.