Boeing is facing the problem of brain drain

These days, Boeing is facing the problem of Brain drain of its employees making the executives worried. Over the next decade, Boeing needs 21,000 aerospace workers to replace the tide of Baby Boomers getting ready to retire of whom, 22% of workers can retire at any moment because of their age have been reached 55. But the shortage of skilled aerospace are spread across all the aerospace companies which lost about 129,350 workers over five years. Only Lockheed Martin is running short of 140,000 workers because of this problem of brain drain.

According to Jim Albaugh, president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the wave of retirements is “the intellectual disarmament” for the organisation since it doesn't have enough young people getting interested in math and science.

Young people around the world are either not interested in aerospace careers or don’t have the math and science skills for it. The problem doesn’t just start in college. Only about 8% of students in USA are interest in engineering as a career. There is no visionary statement to get younger generation interested in engineering and science.

The lack of interest also could be tied to a bad image of the aerospace industry, according to the Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task Force. Layoffs, labor strife and outsourcing have tarnished aerospace’s reputation over the years. Eighty percent of aerospace workers who responded to a 2002 study said they wouldn’t encourage their children to pursue careers in the industry. On the outsourcing subject, the company says, once a core competency is outsourced to someone else, he decides that’s something he isn't going to compete on.

Despite the efforts made by Boeing to encourage people to get into aerospace careers, finding enough aerospace engineers and Machinists is a major part of this job for years to come as it’s only going to get more challenging.