The aerospace industry in Maryland and across the Washington region may face an employee shortage in the coming years as baby boomers leave the work force and the supply of engineers and scientists continues to dwindle, industry officials said Monday at a workforce conference sponsored by the state of Maryland.
“The problem is going to be very real,” said Greg Hodges, director of human resources for Northrop Grumman, speaking on a panel about employee retention. The pipeline of new recruits “currently doesn’t look strong enough to support the retirements,” he said.
Aerospace giants such as Northrop Grumman, Bethesda-based Lockheed Martin and Falls Church-based General Dynamics have all been actively recruiting recent college graduates to fill the gaps.
The average age of an aerospace worker is mid-40s, according to the Aerospace Industries Association of America.
“We’re really trying to lower that age,” said Jessica Pantages, a General Dynamics spokeswoman. “We used to target a lot of employees who already had clearances and now we’re looking to get them into the pipeline earlier.”
The company is targeting 12 universities across the country for recruitment, including Virginia Tech, the University of Virginia, George Mason University and the University of Maryland, College Park.
Lockheed Martin hires about 5 percent of all qualified engineering grads in the U.S., said Tom Greer, a corporate spokesman for Lockheed Martin.
“We recognize we do have an aging work force,” he said. “The need for scientists and engineers is very real. Half of the company is comprised of scientists and engineers.”
Aerospace companies will have to recruit heavily from outside the region if the industry is to sustain its growth, said John McClain, a senior fellow at the George Mason University Center for Regional Analysis.
“We’re probably already beginning to feel the pinch,” he said.
Jobs in computer systems design grew by nearly 25 percent from 2000 to 2006, and the number of positions rose 36 percent in the field of scientific research and development.
“It’s very important to the expansion of the regional economy for those sectors to be able to grow,” McClain said.
Filling the ranks
Where are new employees coming from?
» In addition to new college graduates, many aerospace industry recruits are moving to the region from other major cities.
» In Fairfax County, the top places science and engineering recruits move from are:
1. Los Angeles
2. San Diego
3. Middlesex County, N.J.
4. Cook County, Ill.
5. Manhattan, N.Y.
6. Houston
Source: George Mason University Center for Regional Analysis
