Boeing plans to hire about 10,000 workers in 2023

Boeing plans to hire about 10,000 workers in 2023

Reuters reported that Boeing is set to hire 10,000 workers this year amid its post-pandemic recovery.

The aircraft maker boosted its workforce by 15,000 in 2022 after laying off about 16,000 workers in 2020.

Boeing's CEO said the company had made significant progress in its recovery, but challenges remain.

Reuters reports that Boeing is set to hire nearly 10,000 employees in 2023 amid its post-pandemic recovery.

According to the report, the aircraft maker said growth would be mostly in its business units and engineering and manufacturing divisions. However, it has planned to reduce some staff roles within support functions.

The announcement comes days after it released its fourth-quarter 2022 results. The company has made meaningful progress in post-pandemic recovery, President and CEO Dave Calhoun said Wednesday in a press release, but challenges remain.

Added Calhoun, "We generated more than $3 billion of free cash flow in the fourth quarter, driven by progress in our performance and strong demand. This helped us generate positive free cash flow for the full year for the first time since 2018, which is an important measure in our recovery."

Boeing grew its workforce by nearly 15,000 last year and had a U.S. employee count of about 156,000, the company told Insider.

The Virginia-based company cut its workforce by 10% — about 16,000 workers — during the pandemic as losses mounted. It reported a $2.4 billion loss in its results for the second quarter of 2020 as the pandemic devastated the airline industry.

The company said in 2020 it would slow production of its 787 and 777 models and delayed ramping up production of the 737 Max as demand slumps.

Boeing isn't the only aircraft maker boosting its workforce. In a Thursday press release, Airbus announced plans to hire 13,000 employees this year to help "increase the number of commercial aircraft."

The company, which has 130,000 employees, said 9,000 positions would be in Europe and the rest in its global network.

Boeing told Insider in a statement: "As we plan to increase the total workforce in 2023. We will continue to streamline our company structure and expect fewer employees in certain support functions to better align our resources in the direct support of our products, services, and technology development efforts."