Will summer job seekers flock to aviation in 2025?

Although precise statistics aren’t readily available, it’s estimated that millions of young Europeans take on temporary employment during the warm season. For instance, according to Eurostat data for 2023, as many as 23.1 million people aged 15-64 were in fixed-term employment, and 17.1% of all those employed worked part-time, some of which is no doubt accounted for by summer positions.

Part-time work seems to be on the rise across the continent, with its growth rate (+2.0%) exceeding that of full-time employment’s (+0.8%) for the first time in a decade. In the EU as a whole, almost one-third (31.8%) of employed mothers worked part-time, with the highest shares recorded in Austria (69.2%), the Netherlands (67.9%), and Germany (65.4%).

While aviation probably isn’t a top-of-mind area for part-time job seekers, many carriers offers a surprisingly wide selection of internship and summer job vacancies. Reasons for seeking summer jobs in aviation include higher pay than retail or food service work, valuable technical skills, safety protocols, and customer service abilities that transfer well to other careers, and travel benefits like flight discounts or buddy passes. Employers across different sectors value prospective hires with experience in aviation since it’s an industry that generates lots of added value and requires a strong sense of responsibility from its employees. Moreover, for those interested in becoming pilots, air traffic controllers, or aviation maintenance technicians, summer jobs provide industry exposure and help clarify career goals while building relevant experience.

Work opportunities for the summer months in aviation might become more plentiful going forward. The reason for this is the industry’s vast shortage of personnel that came to light once business rebounded after COVID. According to experts at Aviator – a full range provider of aviation services, taking care of passengers and equipment at 15 airports and numerous aerodromes in 10 countries, although focusing primarily on Scandinavia – summer jobs bring companies many benefits.

“We hire temporary workers to be ready for the summer peak season and to allow our permanent employees to go on vacation. Most years, in our Copenhagen base alone, this amounts to at least 100 people being hired for ramp duty and various positions in the passenger department. And this isn’t always just a temporary opportunity – most of our temps want to stay on after summer, and we’re happy to offer permanent roles to good performers, at least when that’s possible given winter’s traffic schedule,” says Stine Norrid, the Director of HR & Business Excellence at Aviator Denmark.

According to Frank, 24, who this year joined Aviator as one of its “summer birds”, the onboarding and training process consists of two equal parts – two weeks of theoretical education, which includes numerous quizzes and a big final test to ensure maximum absorption of the material, and two weeks of practical training alongside a highly experienced, professional coach.

“What I find most rewarding during a really busy summer day is when you’re in a situation that seems chaotic – not impossible, but certainly hard to handle – and then, together with your colleagues or supervisors, you actually manage to fix it. You see the direct result of what you’re doing, and you often get a real response or reaction from the passenger. That makes the work feel meaningful, even when you’ve done it many times before,” Frank commented.

He also highlighted that people who work in aviation are experts at reading situations, understanding passenger needs, and responding to them in exactly the right way. His team members’ being emotionally intelligent and highly professional people made aviation that much more attractive to Frank.

“I was interested in ground handling – I saw that it came with a bit more responsibility and gave me a chance to develop myself further. I wanted to work and explore some new experiences. That’s also part of why I chose to travel more, and why I was drawn to working at the airport. There’s always something happening here, and every day can be completely different. I can definitely see myself having a career or future in aviation – maybe even in ground handling specifically”.

Aviation might not be the first industry that first comes to mind when considering one’s options when it comes to summer employment. And yet, opportunities abound. Better still, their number may very well increase over time, as the industry tackles its personnel shortages. No less importantly, a summer job in aviation has a relatively high potential to become a launchpad for a stable, fulfilling career.