Airbus Canada plans to create 500 new positions across the country, the majority of which will be in Quebec, while the company tries to accelerate the production rate of the A220 aircraft built in Mirabel, in the Laurentians.
In total, the French multinational announced on Wednesday that it wants to recruit 800 people across the country in 2023. Of this number, 300 positions will aim to fill a retirement and 500 will be linked to the creation of a new position.
The announcement comes as Airbus tries to speed up the production rate of the old CSeries, assembled in Mirabel and Mobile, Alabama. This objective is linked to that of achieving profitability “by mid-decade” by producing 14 aircraft per month.
In 2022, Airbus had hired 400 people in connection with the A220 program at Mirabel, underlined the president and CEO of Airbus Canada, Benoît Schultz, in a press release. In the fall of 2021, the subsidiary had indicated that it wanted to recruit 500 people over a few years to work at its Mirabel plant, in addition to the positions to be replaced. The employer therefore achieved 80% of its target, which was not tied to a deadline.
Accelerating production of the A220
The company will need even more hands amid labor shortages and supply chain disruptions that have delayed the A220 production ramp-up. At the end of January, Schultz was optimistic that he would achieve his goals and be able to ramp up production in the coming months.
Airbus Canada has specified that 700 of the 800 positions posted in 2023 will be in Quebec. This figure includes 450 new positions.
Of the 800 positions posted across the country, Airbus Canada wants a third to be allocated to young professionals at the start of their careers. She also wants a third of her hires and promotions to go to women.
Hiring plans in Canada are part of the French aircraft manufacturer’s global strategy. At the end of January, Airbus communicated its intentions to hire 13,000 people in 2023 worldwide. This represents 7,000 new positions and 6,000 replacements. The company had specified that at least two-thirds of its hiring would take place in Europe, but it had not yet specified targets for Canada.