EasyJet has launched a recruitment campaign specifically aimed at over-45s as the airline looks to meet staffing challenges affecting the sector stemming from Brexit and the Covid pandemic.
Designed to encourage middle-aged people to pursue a new career as cabin crew, the campaign targets “empty nesters”, those whose children have left home and are no longer dependent on them.
The airline – the eighth largest in Europe in terms of passenger numbers – said it had seen a 27% increase in cabin crew aged over 45 since 2018, and a 30% increase in over-60s in the past year. It also carried out research showing that 78% of British adults aged over 45 wanted to take on a new challenge once their children left home.
Michael Brown, director of cabin services at easyJet, also said the carrier had sought to challenge stereotypes that may linger on among the public about what working as cabin crew entailed.
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He said the campaign was created to show that being cabin crew could be a job for anyone with the right skills, no matter what their age.
Brown added: “This is a trend we’ve been seeing for some time and so we wanted to tap into this and encourage more talented people looking for a career change later in life – like parents with older children or empty-nesters – who might be considering a new challenge to bring their wealth of life experience to the industry.
“With part-time as well as full-time opportunities available, it also means we’re able to offer a career with flexibility that we know lots of people might not think this career could offer.”
Airline cabin crew was the desired career choice for 26% of parents over the age of 45 surveyed by easyJet, with the most popular choices being charity worker (39%), followed by paramedic (29%), teacher (28%) and librarian (27%). EasyJet surveyed 2,000 British adults aged over 45.
As airports struggled to cope with passenger numbers over the summer easyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren, criticised the government’s refusal to allow more visas for EU cabin crew and ground-handling staff. Michael O’Leary, boss of easyJet rival Ryanair (Europe’s largest airline in terms of passenger numbers), has also observed that recruitment was far more difficult since Brexit, a sentiment echoed by Charlie Cornish, chief executive of MAG, the owner of airports such as Stansted and Manchester, who said Brexit had “massively exacerbated” recruitment issues.
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Other problems afflicting recruitment in the sector cited by experts have included the loss of staff during the pandemic and a rise in the number of people on long-term sickness leave.
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