About The Authors

January 2023 - Transport & Infrastructure

63% of pilots would like to change jobs in next year: A survey of pilots around the globe has found that 63% would like to change jobs in the next 12 months, with a better salary and benefits package cited as the main driver. This also included 65% of captains, with 'an improved work-life balance' the second most cited reason.

The survey was conducted on behalf of UK-based Goose Recruitment and industry publication FlightGlobal, polling 1,184 pilots during the fourth quarter of 2022. 

Salary insights

The research found that just 15% of pilots received a salary that was in line with the rising cost of living, with almost seven in 10 saying that the current pay levels in the sector will result in pilots leaving their roles. 

According to the survey, a third of pilots have seen their pay fall in the last half decade, with more than half reporting that they have not received a pay increase in the last five years. 

When it comes to satisfaction with pay, the Asia-Pacific region was worst affected with almost half of the pilots reporting a pay cut (48%). The region with the best salaries was North America, with almost three-quarters (73%) reporting higher salaries, which says the report is being driven by a strong recovery and fierce demand for pilots following the devastation that Covid-19 caused to the industry .

However, pilots do have a certain sense of optimism about the future when it comes to salaries, with more than half (52%) expecting them to increase over the next two years as the travel landscape continues its recovery. 

Pilots working again

The survey also revealed that following two years of furloughs and layoffs due to Covid, more than three-quarters (77%) of pilots globally are now working again as the travel industry rebounds. This is a significant increase from the same polling period in 2021 (62%) and 43% in 2020 in the early days of the pandemic when many flights globally were grounded. 

When asked about their careers, 62% of pilots surveyed said they would choose to become a pilot again if they were given the chance to start over, which is a record low for the survey, and just 45% said they would encourage a young person to join the profession, which also marked a record low. 

Nine in 10 respondents polled (89%) said they believe the industry is to face a pilot shortage over the next five years which is a significant jump from 66% who said the same in 2021.

Other Transport & Infrastructure Research Findings

Other Latest Market Research Insights