Age biggest barrier to hands-on careers, survey finds

Thrust Flight has published survey findings suggesting age is the biggest barrier preventing US workers from switching into hands-on careers. The research also found that 59% would accept a 10% pay cut in exchange for long-term job security.

The aviation training provider surveyed 750 full-time US workers aged 18 to 80 and found concern about artificial intelligence is reshaping career priorities. Nearly three-quarters of respondents said most people will need a completely different skill set within 10 years because of AI, while 49% said they were at least somewhat worried AI would change their own job in that way.

In the survey, flexibility and work-life balance ranked as the top career priority at 32%. Job security was second at 27%, followed by pay at 23%, suggesting stability has overtaken salary for a sizeable share of workers.

When asked about moving into work seen as less exposed to automation, respondents identified age as the main obstacle. Some 37% cited age concerns as the top barrier to a hands-on career change, ahead of training costs at 31% and the time needed to retrain at 30%.

The findings suggest concerns about switching careers may be tied as much to perception as to money. Only 8% said nothing was holding them back from making such a move.

Aviation options

The survey also explored views on aviation roles as a possible destination for workers seeking more secure employment. It found that 39% of respondents believed becoming an airline pilot takes longer than any other career tested in the survey.

That perception sits alongside limited recognition of aviation jobs as resistant to AI. Airline pilot was chosen by 13% of respondents as one of the careers safest from automation, while aircraft mechanic was selected by 11%. Both trailed construction trades at 29% and police or firefighter roles at 27%.

Even so, 60% said they would be interested, or at least curious, to learn about a well-paying career considered safe from AI. A further 77% said they would be likely to suggest a hands-on or licensed career path to a friend worried about losing their job to AI.

Thrust Flight used the findings to argue that workers may be ruling out aviation careers because of mistaken assumptions about age and training timelines. Its pilot training course takes students with no previous flight experience to professional pilot certification in as little as two years, while its flight dispatcher training can be completed in about five weeks.

Through the Thrust Institute of Maintenance, students without prior experience can gain FAA Airframe and Powerplant mechanic certification in about a year. Thrust Flight presented those routes as examples of licensed roles that may be more accessible than many workers assume.

Patrick Arnzen, Chief Executive Officer, Thrust Flight, said: "People tend to picture aviation as a career you have to start at 18, and that picture keeps a lot of capable adults from ever looking into it. The habits that make someone good at their current job, like staying calm under pressure and following a process, carry straight into a cockpit or a maintenance hangar. What the industry owes those workers is a clear answer on time and cost before they talk themselves out of it."

Wider demand

The survey comes as the aviation sector faces a need for more trained staff, particularly in technical roles. Boeing's latest Pilot and Technician Outlook projects global demand for 728,000 new maintenance technicians over the next 20 years, compared with 674,000 new pilots over the same period.

That gap matters because the survey suggests awareness of aircraft maintenance careers remains low even as demand rises. Workers were more likely to identify other manual or uniformed occupations as insulated from automation, despite technician shortages across aviation.

More broadly, the results point to a labour market in which AI is influencing how workers weigh risk, income and retraining. While only 11% described AI as a real threat to their job, the larger group expressing at least some concern suggests many employees are considering alternatives before disruption becomes immediate.

For training providers and employers in licensed trades, that may create an opening among workers prepared to trade some earnings for greater certainty. The survey's most striking finding is that 59% of full-time workers said they would accept lower pay in exchange for guaranteed long-term job security, even if the role involved physical or hands-on work.