KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The U.S. Air Force is facing an uphill battle to hit recruiting targets. In the middle of the fiscal year, it has the lowest enlistment since 1999. And in an effort to boost those numbers, they announced they would expand sign-on bonuses up to $50,000.
MSgt. Curtis Lee Jones, An Air Force recruiter in Knoxville, said positions are hard to fill because of the pandemic. Workers are finding higher-paying jobs, remote work and some companies are even experimenting with 4-day workweeks.
“It's kind of formulated into a difficult recruiting environment," he said.
The Air Force recruitment goal is 27,452 new airmen by Sept. 30, but according to data, only 9,920 new recruits are in uniform so far and 5,314 have signed contracts.
"The data right now shows that it's going to be pretty difficult to make our typical target, our goal for the year," Jones said. "That's one of the reasons that we do have the bonus.”
That means the U.S. Air Force needs more than 12,000 more servicemembers to enlist. It’s hoping that offering extra cash will help. There are new sign-on bonuses in six new career fields. They are listed below.
- 2A534, Refuel/Bomber Aircraft Maintenance
- 2A632, Aerospace Ground Equipment
- 2W031, Munitions Systems
- 2W131, Aircraft Armament Systems
- 1D731R, Radio Frequency Transmission Systems
- 9TMAGE, Mechanical or Electrical Aptitude Area
They are offering a $3,000 bonus for four-year contracts, a $6,000 bonus for six-year contracts, and a “Quick Ship” option where a fully qualified applicant will get $8,000 to fill a short-notice Basic Military Training.
Their average pay is more than $65,000 a year. However, Jones said those bonus numbers are just the tip of the iceberg and some positions could get a lot more.
"We have up to $50,000 bonuses as well for very unique and hard-to-fill specialty warfare," Jones said.
He also said recruiting airmen hasn't been this difficult in decades.
“We have met our goal every year since 1999,” he said.
They hope to continue that trend even though they have a long way to go. On top of labor shortages, Jones said they need more people as the U.S. Air Force expands its force.
"We do have the Space Force now, so if you're talking about expansion, we are recruiting Space Guardians as well," Jones said. "We study where we need to be over the next year, five years, ten years, and we have to continue to recruit these young men and women into the Air Force so we can keep things going."
Anyone interested in joining the Air Force can contact a local recruiting office. There's one in Knoxville. Recruiters said, if desired, they will show recruits "a day in the life.”
To learn more about careers in the Air Force, click here.