Over 4,300 new aviation jobs in coming year; workforce at 95% of pre-Covid-19 levels

More than 4,300 aviation jobs are expected to be filled in the coming year as Singapore positions its air hub for post-Covid-19 growth, Acting Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said on Friday. After losing about a third of its workers during the pandemic as air travel ground to a halt, the aviation sector has since rebuilt its workforce to about 95% of 2019 levels, Mr Chee said during the opening of the 2023 OneAviation Careers fair at the Suntec City Convention Centre. In May, the aviation workforce was at about 90% of 2019 levels. The acting minister also unveiled a refreshed roadmap to chart Changi Airport’s future as a global aviation hub amid intensifying competition from neighbouring and regional airports. “We must never take our current hub status as a given,” Chee said. He added: “Technology is progressing at a blistering pace, including advances in artificial intelligence... Our ability to adapt and transform with technology will determine if we remain a premier air hub or lose our position to competitors.” Before the pandemic, the Changi air hub and its related industries supported almost 200,000 jobs across Singapore’s economy and formed more than 5% of the nation’s gross domestic product.<br/>