An Analysis Of The Validity Of Commercial Industry employment Barriers Facing Unemployed aerospace Engineers And Aerospace Scientists
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Authors
Ware, Frederick Anderson, Jr.
Issue Date
1973-12
Type
Dissertation
Language
en_US
Keywords
Aerospace Industry , Unemployment , Astronautics , Technology Mobilization and Reemployment Program , Huntsville--Alabama , Cape Kennedy--Florida , Atlanta--Georgia , Public Sector , Private Sector , Aerospace Engineers
Alternative Title
Abstract
The purpose of this dissertation was to study the conditions associated with the hiring of former aerospace scientists and engineers in commercial (non-aerospace) industry, and to examine the validity of certain apparent employment barriers. These particular barriers were hypothesized to be presuppositions by commercial industry employment managers based on incorrect information, such as anticipated behavior patterns of ex-aerospace employees. The investigation also identified other barriers to commercial employment. Dependency relationships were determined between certain attributes of former aerospace professionals and their behavior patterns. Attributes and behavior of commercial industry employment managers were also examined for dependency relationships. Two mail-questionnaire surveys were conducted concurrently, one to 614 unemployed or once-unemployed individual aerospace scientists and engineers and another to 300 employment managers of commercial firms. The sample covered individuals who had been laid off from three major areas of high-aerospace unemployment: Huntsville, Alabama; Cape Kennedy, Florida; and Atlanta, Georgia. The commercial firms were the one-hundred largest (by employment) corporations in the states of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. Response rates exceeded 60% for both surveys. The following hypotheses were tested:
1. A barrier to employment is the widely held
presupposition by non-aerospace
employers that former aerospace
engineers and scientists will return
to aerospace work when it is offered.
2. Once employed in a non-aerospace job
which is not merely of an emergency
stop-gap nature, paying substantially
less than the amount earned in aerospace,
most former aerospace scientists
and engineers will not return
to aerospace work when given the
opportunity.
3. A barrier to employment is the widely held
presupposition by non-aerospace
employers that former aerospace engineers
and scientists are, or will
become, dissatisfied and poorly
motivated in non-aerospace work due
to their previous high salary ranges,
more challenging jobs and general
over qualifications.
4. A majority of former aerospace engineers
and scientists adapt readily to non-aerospace
work and become effective,
motivated and satisfied employees.
Sample proportions were used as estimates of population proportions and independency was examined with the chi-square statistic. The first and third hypotheses were rejected; the second and fourth hypotheses were accepted. Statistically significant dependency was found between an individual's tendency to eventually return to aerospace employment and the attributes of age, highest college degree held, and state where the layoff took place. Dependency was also seen in a commercial firm's general industrial classification and its tendency to hire ex-aerospace professionals. The study indicated that the most significant barrier to commercial employment faced by former aerospace scientists and engineers is the lack of non-aerospace experience or overspecialization. Recommendations were made that further study be done on the overspecialization problem and the potential problem of aerospace manpower shortages.