While ‘The Great Resignation’ left the aerospace, defense and security (ADS) industry with a steadily increasing number of unfilled positions in 2021, a thematic analysis of GlobalData’s Job Analytics database has revealed that this rise in job postings also reflects the industry’s tech revolution. The leading data and analytics company highlights that job posts related to big data, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI) and environmental, social and governance (ESG) development led the way, and we are already seeing signs that this trend will continue into 2022.

Mathew George, Ph.D, Practice Head of Aerospace, Defense and Security at GlobalData, comments: “The industry has seen an increased focus towards ESG, with companies focusing on the use of sustainable fuels and increased electrification. For instance, major European players recently announced their support of future sustainability and decarbonization of aviation. Unmanned systems and robotics continue to generate interest in all spheres (civil and defense), with novel use cases being explored. These areas will continue to remain in the limelight into 2022 as well. Naturally, with all the data that is generated and required to assess the best way forward, the role of big data continues to increase in this space as well.”

Ajay Kumar Thalluri, Business Fundamentals Analyst at GlobalData, added: “Job postings in the ADS sector have been a mixed bag of highs and lows. Companies in the sector did not offer as many remote/hybrid work options alongside job advertisements unlike other sectors. Additionally, there were only a handful number of companies that provided sign-on bonuses for junior roles that became integral to close job applications faster.”

Among the jobs being advertised, software developers, engineers and operations managers saw the highest number of posts in 2021—all areas that require a certain degree of transferable skills.

George continues: “An increased need for digitalization comes hand-in-hand with a need for tech skills. Airbus’ recent announcement that it is hiring 6,000 people to help it focus on decarbonization gives us a hint as to the future demand for ESG-related positions, for example.”

However, the ADS sector was not immune from The Great Resignation, with many companies seeing staff shortages. GlobalData notes that companies with a high number of military contracts were insulated from the pitfalls seen by the aviation industry.

George adds: “Those companies, with sufficient exposure to both military and commercial spaces were buoyed by the support from governments to expedite purchases to support businesses. This helped them weather the losses to their commercial wings and analyze mechanisms to strengthen their military offering.  . They also used the time to reassess supply chains and operations to work towards securing from disruption their work in the future.”

Looking forward to 2022, GlobalData is optimistic of the jobs market, expecting the workforce to return to pre-COVID-19 levels, with autonomous systems, big data and ESG job posts leading.