Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 16 November 2022

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport

Update on Issues in Aviation Sector: Engagement with Mr. Willie Walsh

Mr. Willie Walsh:

Yes, absolutely. That is the case. We did not see the same numbers leaving the industry. It is a great credit to everyone in Ireland that the Irish economy is doing extremely well. Employment levels remain very high. Relative to a lot of economies in Europe and globally, the outlook for the economy here remains very strong. We have to recognise that and give credit to the Government and the Ministers involved. Aviation is facing a new challenge in attracting employees. We have seen this in a couple of countries now, although it is not widespread across Europe. What we have seen is that the uncertainty around the airline industry witnessed during 2020 and 2021 caused people to look at alternative employment. In some cases, given the state of the economy, some people have been successful in finding jobs elsewhere and are therefore not attracted to come back to the industry. There is going to be greater competition for labour going forward and I believe that will be reflected in the measures that airlines and airports put in place. It is going to be a competitive market, certainly much more competitive than it has been in the past.

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