A union leader says Boeing’s factory hiring has accelerated to about 100 to 140 workers per week, levels not seen since 2024—driven by retirements and efforts to scale up staffing to meet higher production targets.

The comments came from Jon Holden, who recently became vice president for training and apprenticeships at the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, according to Reuters.

Holden said IAM membership in the Pacific Northwest if United States has now risen to more than 34,000 and continues to grow.

That compares with about 33,000 members in 2024, when he led the local union through a seven-week strike over contract negotiations.

“We’re seeing strong interest as we hire in Puget Sound and across the enterprise to support our production rate increases,” a Boeing spokesperson said in an email to Reuters.

Holden said several factors are driving the need for additional workers.

He noted that Boeing’s plan to open a fourth 737 MAX assembly line near Seattle, known as the North Line, will require a significant staffing boost.

He also pointed to the 777X programme, which is still awaiting certification, as another major source of demand.

Beyond the factory floor, he added that hiring needs also span support roles such as parts logistics, warehousing, tooling, and transportation.

Data from Washington’s Employment Security Department show aerospace manufacturing employment in the state bottomed out at around 79,000 workers last August before recovering to 81,800 by February.

Holden compared the current hiring pace with Boeing’s rapid expansion in 2023 and 2024, which he said was largely driven by efforts to rebuild staffing levels lost during the pandemic and following the grounding of the 737 MAX after two fatal crashes.

He described the current hiring trend as more steady and deliberate.

“This is more, I think, a sustained ramp that I feel good about, as long as the economy continues to go, as long as airlines continue to keep their orders,” he said.

Holden also said enrollment in Boeing’s apprenticeship programme, which includes specialised trades such as composite repairs, has now surpassed the 125-participant cap agreed under the IAM’s 2024 labour contract.

Aerospace companies are ramping up hiring to meet growing demand from airlines for more fuel-efficient jets, as well as from a space industry boom and increased defence spending driven by rising geopolitical tensions and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.