The aviation industry has experienced an eventful few years. While others are just hanging on, this sector weathered disruption, demand surges, operational overhauls, and now a new kind of growth. To understand what this growth looks like, we at Aviation Job Search launched The Big Aviation Worklife Survey a few weeks back, with the objective to capture the reality of working in aviation in 2025.
And the first round of results is in!
With hundreds of pilots, engineers, cabin crew, and other staff having already taken part, the survey helped in painting a picture of what aviation professionals want from their employers and how they feel about pay, work-life balance, and career expectations.
Here’s a detailed look.
Pay and Work-Life Balance at the Top
When it comes to priorities, higher pay takes the top spot on the list, followed by better work/life balance. Coming in third is career progression. The order makes it clear that the present employment packages fall short of employee expectations.
Pay pressure in the aviation industry is an urgent issue. While pilot salaries have been on the rise, thanks to fleet expansion, the same is not true for other departments. Global competition, airline expansion, and an aging workforce have put more pressure on airlines to keep costs down, directly impacting salaries and benefits.
Work/life balance remains a common challenge, particularly for flight crew. Unpredictable rosters, long duty periods, and frequent time away from home make balance harder to achieve compared with many other sectors. Employers who can demonstrate progress in this area are likely to find recruitment and retention easier.
Optimism Holds — But Retention Risks Remain
Despite the uncertainty and challenges regarding pay and work-life balance, 74% of the respondents want to remain in aviation. This is a good sign. The industry is still managing the after-effects of the pandemic, when large numbers of experienced staff left. Retention of qualified professionals is critical as global traffic continues to climb and demand for talent increases.
But it also means that a quarter of the respondents voted to opt out of the industry. This number cannot be ignored, considering the lengthy and costly training pipeline. The sector can ill afford to see a steady outflow of staff at a time when forecasts predict continued growth in aircraft deliveries and passenger demand.
2025 Workforce Priorities
The survey shines an insightful light into what aviation folks expect from their career in 2025 and beyond. The results, so far, mirror trends across other industries. Take technology, healthcare, or logistics. All these industries have shown similar themes, with workers prioritising pay and balance over other perks. Where aviation differs is in the regulatory and operational environment, which often limits flexibility. A nurse or software developer may be able to negotiate remote or hybrid options; a pilot cannot.
This structural constraint makes work-life balance harder to address. So, what can employers do to retain employees and attract top talent to the industry? Alternative measures, such as fairer rostering, additional leave, or better travel and accommodation support when away from base, can alleviate some of the pressure on the employees.
The finding does make one thing clear- organizations must sharpen their focus on both pay strategy and scheduling practices if they want to attract and keep staff. High satisfaction alone will not guarantee retention or positive word of mouth. Without improvements in pay and balance, companies risk a cycle of turnover that adds training costs and reduces operational resilience. Airlines have started moving the needle in this direction. They are adjusting wages and benefits to secure staff and retain talent.
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Last Chance to Share Your Aviation Experience
The Big Aviation Worklife Survey is still open, and we’re inviting more voices from across the industry. Every response helps build a clearer picture of what aviation professionals truly want. If you haven’t shared your views yet, now’s the time. Take the survey here.
The objective is to build a detailed picture across roles, regions, and career stages. The data collected will inform both employers and job seekers about what matters most to those working in the industry today.
The final report is expected to provide deeper insights once a larger sample size is achieved. At this stage, the headline remains clear: aviation professionals want higher pay and improved balance, and those needs outweigh other benefits.
