Workforce
2014 – U.S. Space Industry Outlook
Every two years, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics develops employment projections based on expected developments in the labor force and economy, changes in demographics and technology, and a variety of other factors. In January 2014, BLS released the 2014–2015 Occupational Outlook Handbook, covering projections for the 2012–2022 decade.
2014 – NASA Workforce
At the start of fiscal year (FY) 2015, NASA had ## employees. Since FY 2011, NASA’s workforce has declined by ##%, a loss of just over ## employees. This decrease coincided with the retirement of the Space Shuttle, the cancellation of the Constellation program, and decreasing budget.
2014 – U.S. Space Industry Employment
Each quarter, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes data on employment and salaries within U.S. establishments as reported by employers. This census includes ##% of U.S. jobs, making it the most comprehensive data set available for understanding trends in U.S. economy. The structure used to collect and provide this information is the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).
2014 – Space Foundation Survey of U.S. Companies
In 2013, approximately ## employees working in ## establishments were represented by the NAICS codes used to characterize the civilian U.S. space workforce.
Workforce: Workforce and Education – TSR 2014
2013 – Other Space Employment
Not all countries collect or distribute data on agency or industry employment on a regular basis. This makes it difficult to determine trends in the global space workforce outside of a few major groups. Exhibit 4x provides a snapshot of employment in a number of space agencies in 2013. This gives some measure of the approximate size of the space programs in these nations.
2013 – Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Employment
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) employed ## individuals in 2013. This is a decrease of less than ##% from 2012. Over the past 10 years, JAXA has declined steadily, shedding ## workers since 2003—nearly ##% of its workforce. JAXA has a relatively healthy workforce age profile; ##% of its workforce is over 54 and ##% is under 35.
2013 – Japanese Space Industry Employment
In 2012, there were ## individuals working in the Japanese space industry. This was an increase of ##% from 2011, adding ## people. At least some of this increase was due to an increase in the number of companies participating in the survey, which rose from ## in 2011 to ## in 2012. This addition continues a growth trend that began after a low point in 2008.
2013 – European Space Agency Employment
The European Space Agency (ESA) has a staff of ## employees. About half of these individuals work as engineers, scientists, or astronauts. Women make up about a quarter of ESA employees, but only ##% of science and engineering personnel. ESA has a particularly low portion of young professionals—just ##% of ESA employees are under 35.
2013 – European Space Industry Employment
Space employment in Europe has increased for the seventh year in a row, adding about ## employees from 2011 to 2012, an increase of ##%. European space employment is ##% greater than its 10-year low in 2005. Unlike the data for the U.S. space workforce, which is estimated using nationally collected data not specifically designed to capture the space industry, data on the European space workforce has been collected via a targeted survey of European space companies carried out by a not-for-profit organization, Eurospace. In carrying out this survey, Eurospace focuses on manufacturing activities and measuring end-market value.