70,000 new jobs through Boeing’s Singapore deal? Not likely
Oct 24, 2017, 8:33 AM | Updated: 10:56 am
The number 70,000 is being tossed around in connection with the jobs that could be created in Boeing’s deal with Singapore Airlines. At the same time, Boeing is reportedly trimming jobs.
RELATED: Amazon’s threat resurfaces bitter memories
President Donald Trump himself was somewhat vague on the issue.
“And they’re going to have a total of — in terms of the order — is $13.8 billion dollars and most importantly it’s about 70,000 jobs. So, uhh, those are all jobs in this country, right?
So is Boeing’s deal with Singapore Airlines really going to create 70,000 jobs as many reports have claimed? Aerospace industry expert Richard Aboulafia says not likely.
“I expect they’re existing jobs,” he told Seattle’s Morning News. “It appears to be based on — well — nothing.”
Aboulafia says he’s not really sure what Trump was talking about. Boeing, he says, builds 800 planes or more per year. So it’s unlikely an additional 39 aircraft over the next several years will create 70,000 jobs.
Boeing has been downsizing significantly for the past five years. Thousands of jobs have been cut in Washington state, including 8,598 positions between the beginning of last year and March 2017, the Daily Herald reports.
However, Aboulafia says things could be stabilizing, though the company could continue to cut jobs as the production of the 777 “ramps down.”
“Overall, the picture is positive,” he said.
It was recently announced that Boeing began rehiring hundreds of retirees, at least on a temporary basis, to train new hires for full-time positions.
“We are doing some modest hiring across manufacturing skills and contacting recently retired mechanics with certain skills,” Boeing spokesman Paul Bergman told The Seattle Times. “Bringing in experienced mechanics will allow us to hire and train new employees during this period.”
But it’s unclear whether this is a permanent turn in the Boeing job market.
