AVIATION AND JOBS

Aviation does not affect employment levels

The number of jobs in aviation or its "contribution" to employment is touted constantly by the industry and government statements on aviation such as the regional aviation studies and the "Future of Aviation". The word "contribution" is very misleading. All it means in fact is that the jobs in aviation are part of the total employment in the economy. It does not mean that the jobs in aviation increase total employment or, conversely, that if the aviation sector was not present or were constrained in its growth, there would be less employment.

Even Oxford Economic Forecasting (OEF), whose biased study (see aviation and economy) was financed by the aviation industry, admitted as much .. "This does not mean that these additional jobs [from aviation] would not exist in the long run without the aviation sector .. in the long run the overall level of employment is not determined so much by the level of demand from particular industries as by the supply of workers looking for a job."

Berkeley Hanover, consultants who were not financed by the aviation industry, agree. They add "The number of jobs it [aviation] provides or may create is also irrelevant to the issues about future capacity .. If people's preferences for air travel change or the resources required to produce these services change then the employment outcome is different. If for various reasons, air travel capacity was constrained resulting in less resources being used in air transport, additional resources would be employed elsewhere in the economy and labour would be created and employed elsewhere .. If UK passengers cease to fly, the money saved does not burn a hole in their pockets, they spend it elsewhere. Air industry jobs disappear but other jobs arise from the new pattern of expenditure."

Jobs argument used to blackmail communities

The clear conclusion is that he number of jobs is a total irrelevance in the debate on aviation. Those who argue that we need to promote and grow air travel in order to protect or create jobs are at best misinformed (certain trade unions and some of the public) and at worst dishonest (the aviation industry and its supporters in government). Ordinary people's understandable fears of unemployment are being ruthlessly exploited by the industry and government to blackmail them into accepting growth of aviation.

More jobs can be actually be a problem

Although there is no effect on employment at a national or regional level due to aviation, there may of course be local effects. However, extra jobs will only be useful in the area in question if there is significant unemployment and all the other necessary resources are lying idle. If there is already fairly full employment, creating more jobs in aviation will lead to loss of jobs in other sectors as labour and other resources are diverted.

An alternative response is for people to travel long distances to the airports. This is not a sensible or sustainable approach.

Another possible response to increase the local population by immigration. It is not government policy to increase employment by inducing immigration and it is certainly not in the interests of the local community.

Links to other pages on economics and the air studies

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