Page 28 - AAA NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2017 Online Magazine

FeAtUre WorK ForCe

In September, it signed a partnership knocking. Ninety five percent of companies
agreement with ENAC and other parties, in North America that responded to the
including the Hong Kong Airport Authority, Oliver Wyman 2017 MRO Survey said that
the French Civil Aviation Directorate General they were already experiencing labor
and major carriers in Hong Kong, for training imbalances. Most of them were addressing
in aviation in the North ASEAN area. The the situation by using overtime as well
training will be for high level executives of as internal productivity and efficiency
airlines Maintenance companies. carriers, strategies. Internal training to expand skill
airports, as well as civil aviation authorities. sets is another strategy being used, the
survey found. Over the long term, reliance
Worries for U.S. Companies on large amounts of overtime is costly,
As per an Oliver Wyman study that was unsustainable and can affect productivity, it
presented in April this year at MRO warned.
Americas in Orlando, the median age of the An overwhelming majority of those who
US commercial MRO workforce of about responded to the survey said they would
86,000 maintenance technicians is 51, nearly planning to either increase staff strength or
9 years older than the median age of the US maintain it over the next three years. Ninety
labor force. Current supply is a little more percent of the respondents felt that lack of
than the demand, but with a record number enough qualified technicians was a problem
of technicians set to retire, the industry is while 67 percent said that heavy competition
set to face an increasingly difficult challenge between companies made hiring difficult. oPPosite PAge: By 2027, demand
over the next ten years, the study said. By for maintenance technicians in
2027, demand for maintenance technicians The Way Out America is forecast to outstrip
in the U.S. is forecast to outstrip supply by In the U.S., the need to grow the next supply by nine percent
nine percent. An increase in maintenance generation of AMTs has been a subject BeLoW: The emergence of
costs and turnaround time is likely during the of discussion, at the industry level and augmented reality (AR) and
period because of the AMT shortage. otherwise. After a two-day conference on the virtual reality (VR), predictive and
prescriptive maintenance and big
For many MRO companies in the U.S., subject late last year, the issue came up for data will revolutionise the aviation
the crisis is already at their doorsteps and discussion at MRO Americas in Orlando. “This MRO industry

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