It’s mid July, and with rising COVID-19 numbers again, the country seems to be only sputtering back to open. It remains unclear if life as we knew it has forever changed, but in the meantime, we are all just trying to figure out the best way to stay safe and keep the economy going. However, even with July 4th weekend being the highest level of travel since March 2020 when this saga all began, the numbers were still considerably lower than a year ago.
With no end in sight for decreased global travel plans, the industry still tries to make adjustments in order to stay solvent. While aerospace within the defense industry has not felt the hits as hard, the impact of airline layoffs is felt in different ways. Sometimes, it means when business travel ramps up again, the options are pricier or not as plentiful, or it means more commercial pilots seeking to enter or re-enter the defense space, driving up competition.
Layoffs Impacting the Defense Industry
| Collins Aerospace | In a shift to move their Anaheim facility to Kansas, Collins Aerospace, a Raytheon Technologies company, will layoff 200 employees in the Anaheim area. The move will be complete by April 30, 2021. The organization is looking to consolidate its services as a way to streamline operations and cut costs. |
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| United Airlines | The U.S. airline provider is warning 36,000 employees of a pending layoff beginning in October. As the country sputters in its progress to resume its traveling life, airlines remain at reduced capacity. Due to $5 billion it received in federal aid, United cannot furlough its employees until after October 1. |
All signs within the defense industry keep pointing to now being the time to check on whether or not you are in the right job. Don’t wait until the fallout stops in order to consider your move. Companies continue to grow and hire, even as we approach the next fiscal year.
Hiring impacting the Defense Industry
| Artisan Electronics | An expansion of Artisan Electronics in south central Indiana could create up to 20 new jobs by the end of 2023. Artisan Electronics is a small defense contractor that specializes in engineering and IT/cybersecurity.
“Artisan Electronics’ decision to expand in Indiana continues a rising trend of defense contractors choosing our state for growth,” said Indiana Secretary of Commerce Jim Schellinger. “With an extensive network of defense assets, paired with the state’s business-friendly environment and skilled workforce, Indiana is the perfect place for Artisan Electronics to scale its operations and deliver critical support services to the defense industry. We’re excited to support the company’s continued growth and success in Daviess County.” |
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| Anduril | No word yet if Anduril‘s additional $200 million in funding will lead to specific jobs, but the organization has confirmed that the additional funding will help accelerate their work in artificial intelligence and support their staffing needs. However, the growing organization has artfully woven together Silicon Valley with national security needs. With an organization focused on artificial intelligence and machine learning, Anduril is on the upward move and is one to watch. |
Opportunity to Watch
Cybersecurity is a buzzword that everyone loves to throw around, and people will tell you that it is the field to be in right now. But is that really the case? The truth is yes, but with some caveats. Even in cybersecurity, it’s important watch which fields the world is trending towards. The need may be great, but it doesn’t mean the budget to fill the needs always follows. With the COVID-19 dive into telecommuting overnight, the cybersecurity needs changed and increased immediately. The perimeters that needed securing suddenly multiplied overnight, with home WiFi networks becoming the new office environment.
But without the economy to support the needs, businesses may try to hone in more on the areas of cybersecurity that are most needed. While jobs that focus more on the physical office space’s security are cooling, cybersecurity positions that focus on cloud and machine learning are the cyber path forward. So, it might mean updating your cloud certifications with Google or Amazon or better studying the trends for artificial intelligence. The key is to stay relevant and willing to learn in this field so you can stay ahead of the game.
