Stuck on a hold file

Australian pilot recruitment slows

Have things stalled here in Australian aviation recruitment? This industry has always been cyclic and we have been on the up on the hiring front for a couple of years now. With Virgin Australia laying off hundreds of head office staff and not much flight or cabin crew hiring at the major airlines, it feels as if this recruitment boom has experienced a pause. The question for many stuck on hold files is, for how long?

The AFAP jobs page often has upwards of 90 pilot roles listed, but when I looked it was down to around 50 or so, certainly an indicator that Australian aviation recruitment has eased into the traditionally slow festive period a little earlier than usual. There is some hope for those seeking jet First Officer roles as we come to the close of 2019 in the form of the Qantas Group. Although QF has not indicated when it will reopen its recruitment pipeline, Jetstar remained open until 18 November for A320 FO positions. Also, from a culture and reputation perspective, the top pick would have to be Express Freighters Australia which has an open-ended recruitment drive for the B737 / B767 / A321.