31 Straight Months of Growth End November with 12.5% Growth Over Pre-Pandemic Levels

The US Bureau of Transportation updated data for 2023, showing that US Cargo and Passenger Airlines gained nearly 2,000 jobs in November 2023.

Employment now remains 8.8% above pre-pandemic hiring levels from November 2019, with a total of 814,190 in the industry. That's up 0.2% since the preceding month, and 12.5% higher since the before-times.

Overall in November 2023, Part 121 airlines in the states employed 535,914 workers, 60% of the cargo/aviation industry's total. Passenger airlines only added 529 employees that month, for a 31st consecutive month of job growth stretching back to May of 2021. United Airlines led the pack there, adding 429 workers. Southwest added 309, and Envoy - surprisingly enough - added 114. Scheduled passenger airlines managed to pull off 497 new full-time equivalents in November, too.

Cargo airlines came in employing 273,573 workers in November 2023, 34% of the industry total. Cargo carriers gained 1,333 employees in that month alone, with FedEx leading the charge at 1,600 new jobs. That's counting the larger carriers, specifically cargo operators with their own aircraft sporting 60+ seats weighing 18,000 lbs.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics will update the list once again in February, showing off the results of a cooling aviation industry as the aftereffects of inflation and eroding tourism might show their hand.

FMI: www.bts.gov