Boeing reportedly plans to bring in 10,000 new employees in 2023, roughly half the number hired in 2022. The company’s workforce rose by 10% last year with 23,000 new employees who were brought on board to compensate for attrition and the retirement of thousands of workers, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Speaking to investors, Chief Executive David Calhoun said moving staff who have been reworking planes in storage would compensate for retirement and other demographic issues over the next couple of years. Some job cuts are expected in support functions this year, while most hiring will focus on engineering and manufacturing operations.
The WSJ quoted a statement Boeing issued Friday in which it said that while it plans to expand its total workforce this year, it “will continue to simplify … corporate structure and expect lower staffing within some support functions.”
Thirteen percent of Boeing’s workforce is outside the U.S., a bump up from 12% in 2021. The Wall Street Journal reports rival Airbus SE plans to hire 13,000 workers this year, with 9,000 positions in Europe and the rest in other countries, including the U.S. and China.
Despite its own newsmaking layoffs, Amazon Inc. has overtaken Boeing as the largest employer in Washington state.