Bombardier calls 1,000 hires signal to youth

Bombardier POINTE-CLAIRE, QUE. Inc.’s hiring of about 1,000 workers for its new business jet is a signal to young people that the aerospace industry is attractive despite waves of layoffs in recent years, chief executive Alain Bellemare said Friday.

“You go through cycles, but in a sense there’s always a very strong stable base of employment,” Bellemare said at the opening of its new interior completion centre.

Bombardier confirmed it is hiring about 1,000 workers over the next 18 months to complete the interiors of the Global 7000 which is scheduled to enter into service late next year.

The company will hold a job fair next Friday at its main aerospace campus in Montreal.

The hiring follows mass layoffs in recent years by the company as part of a five-year turnaround plan to regain its financial footing. It eliminated 14,500 positions around the world in its aerospace and railway divisions.

Bellemare said it will be challenging to fill the skilled vacancies for its largest business jet that can fly non-stop between Montreal and Dubai. The plane is sold out until 2021. He said finding talented people is never easy, but he’s encouraged by Quebec’s strong economy and the high number of training schools in the region.

Aero Montreal, which promotes the city’s aerospace industry, said 31,681 positions will need to be filled within the next 10 years including 8,816 newly created positions and 22,865 positions resulting mainly from retirements.

Quebec Economy and Innovation Minister Dominique Anglade said finding skilled workers is the most important economic challenge facing the provincial economy which is experiencing record low unemployment.