Aviation sector set to restore up to 90% of pre-Covid-19 workforce

This is expected to happen by year end, with recruitment continuing in coming months

- Clement Yong

The aviation sector is expected to restore 85 per cent to 90 per cent of its pre-Covid-19 pandemic workforce by the end of the year after losing a third of its 35,000 workers during the pandemic.

Senior Minister of State for Transport Chee Hong Tat said yesterday the industry has begun a recruitment drive that will persist in the coming months. For a start, almost 2,000 people will be hired during the OneAviation Careers job fair, held at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre yesterday and today, where he was speaking.

"This is the first of many more sector-wide efforts. We have to ensure that the sector has the manpower it needs to keep pace with the recovery of air travel and tourism," Mr Chee said.

His remarks gave the first glimpse of a timeline for the recovery of manpower in the aviation industry in Singapore, which is suffering from a crunch after the departure of workers amid low flight volumes in 2020 and last year.