Boeing Hiring 100–140 Factory Workers Per Week in 2026 — Highest Rate Since 2024

USA – Boeing is hiring between 100 and 140 factory workers per week — the highest rate since 2024 — as the manufacturer staffs up to support production rate increases, a new assembly line, and the replacement of retiring workers, according to Jon Holden, the newly appointed Vice President of Training and Apprenticeships at the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM).

• Boeing's IAM-represented unionised workforce in the Pacific Northwest has surpassed 34,000 workers and is continuing to grow, up from approximately 33,000 during Holden's time as head of the regional IAM local in 2024 — a period that included a seven-week strike over a new contract.
• The primary drivers of hiring include staffing the fourth 737 MAX assembly line at Everett (the North Line), supporting 777X widebody production ahead of its pending certification, and replacing a sustained wave of retirements across the manufacturing workforce; Holden noted that demand extends beyond line workers to logistics, tooling, storage, and transportation roles.
• Washington State aerospace manufacturing employment had dropped to approximately 79,000 last August before recovering to 81,800 in February 2026, according to the state's Employment Security Department.
• Boeing's apprenticeship programme — which trains workers in specialised skills including composite repairs — is expanding beyond the 125 apprentices agreed in the 2024 IAM contract, reflecting the broader skilled workforce challenge facing the sector; the Aviation Technician Education Council noted that only approximately 75% of FAA-licensed mechanics come through specialised training schools, increasing the importance of apprenticeship and cross-sector hiring programmes.

Source: IAM