Queretaro’s aerospace industry requires human capital

QUERETARO - The aerospace industry is requiring at least 1,500 workers in various disciplines, from high school graduates to University Technicians (TSU), estimated the general director of the Aerocluster of Queretaro, Antonio Velazquez Solis.

In addition to these talent needs, the sector's hiring expectations for this year are expected to exceed pre-pandemic indicators.

Faced with the lack of human capital reported by various industries, the executive explained that in this branch the profiles were very specialized and, now, the need to find personnel is causing the sector to turn to other disciplines or engineering.

"The Aerocluster shares-receives vacancies in information technology, administration, accounting, welding, a great diversity of people that are required," he said in an interview.

This, he said, means that industries are expanding job opportunities to incorporate more and more talent.

Before the pandemic, the sector employed between 10,000 and 12,000 people, a figure that varies according to the seasons; with the health contingency, hiring decreased and reached approximately 8,500.

Between 2022 and 2023 the workforce improved and reached between 10,000 and 10,500 employees in the state. However, he predicted double-digit annual increases in hiring in 2024, forecasting 12,000 to 14,000. Some companies are forecasting increases of 10, 15 and up to 20% in their workforces this year.

This need for talent is being covered, in part, by profiles coming from other states, who arrive in search of job opportunities or who have been identified by the cluster itself through job vacancies.

The Aerocluster has registered people from the 32 entities interested in filling any of the vacancies; this phenomenon places Queretaro as a pole of attraction of talent and opportunities for the aerospace industry.

In the same way, they work with universities, research and technical training centers to find the profiles that the sector demands.

Currently, of the more than 10,000 workers in the local industry, 27% are women, according to the cluster.

In response to the human capital needs of various industries, the Private Initiative and the state's educational sector launched a call for proposals to promote the dual education model.