Are Temporary jobs the way to the future ? Often shunned because considered too precarious, temporary assignments in the aeronautical industry, however, are often a way to stable employment. In 2012, France had nearly 7,000 temporary workers in this sector, a figure expected to grow over the next 5 years. Details follow… Temporary employees are a vital link for equipment manufacturers, air-framers, or small businesses in the aerospace sector, and meet the demands of companies feeling the need to strengthen their teams in times of need. In France, last year, according to the organization PRISM, they were 6,700. A figure which has more than doubled since 2010. Because the demand is there, hiring following a temporary assignment is frequent. "We are in a ratio of 20 to 25%, which is a relatively large figure. So I would like to say, that sometimes it is pre-full term employment; i.e. the company will test the interim employees to see what level of skills they have. For those who want to be part of it, it’s clearly the way in aerospace today; we see it when trainees complete their training, there is 90 to 95% integration into companies either through short or long term contracts, that’s still a very large number." And to cope with the coming peak loads, and replacements of the generation of Baby Boomers, employment prospects in the coming years are good; mainly in the production sector as a wireman, structural fitter-assembler or aircraft cabin fitter, for example. The training of temporary personnel is between 500 and 700 hours, and therefore essential. "In the coming 4-5 years, we need be ready to train people, indeed all temporary employment companies spend a lot of money training, because, without short term contractors, we cannot work. So it is a valuable resource for us. And this is why we really want to train or develop them; for those who are already trained it’s a way to increase their skills." Let it be noted by all interested persons, including women, who represent only 20% of temporary aircraft production workers, that, on average, assignments last between 9 and 12 months, and the periods between two missions, given the needs, are becoming shorter and shorter.