Future Skills of Flight Attendants in Times of COVID-19-Related Job Uncertainty—The Case of Germany

Kirsten Friederike Bremer and Sven Ulrich Maertens
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Kirsten Friederike Bremer: Distance Learning Business and Management, IU International University of Applied Sciences, 99084 Erfurt, Germany
Sven Ulrich Maertens: Institute of Air Transport and Airport Research, German Aerospace Center (DLR e.V.), 51147 Cologne, Germany

Administrative Sciences, 2021, vol. 11, issue 4, 1-22

Abstract: “Future skills” increase employees’ prospects in the labor market, particularly in dynamic times, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. (Not only) in Germany, flight attendants represent an occupational group without state-recognized vocational occupation who are particularly affected by the pandemic due to serious and long-lasting declines in air transport volumes. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the future skills of flight attendants play an important role when applying for jobs in other industries. An empirical survey (n = 273) from April 2021 indicates that German-speaking flight attendants possess some of the future skills most frequently identified in key studies on future competencies, as well as extensive language skills, but have deficits in “working with computer systems” and “programming”. Pro-active training of employees in future skills, especially in crisis-prone professions, could facilitate future transitions into new professional fields.

Keywords: air transport; flight attendants; future skills; future competencies; COVID-19; further education; training; employee (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L M M0 M1 M10 M11 M12 M14 M15 M16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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