Southwest’s Incoming CEO Says Hiring Will Be a Big Early Challenge
Photo Credit: Incoming Southwest Airlines CEO Robert Jordan at the Skift Global Forum in New York. Skift / Matt Mateiescu
Skift Take
Southwest Airlines' Robert Jordan is mostly excited about his new job but also "20 percent terrified." And for good reason, he takes the helm as the carrier navigates a hiring crunch in the midst of the recovery from the worst crisis in its history.
Incoming Southwest Airlines CEO Robert Jordan was only planning to pick up his food when he went through the drive through at a Dallas-area Whataburger recently. But stapled to his food bag was also a job application — a symbol of the entry-level hiring challenges that face business across the U.S.
Southwest is in the middle of that fray. The Dallas-based carrier is receiving on average just 14 applications per open position compared to 42-43 per position prior to the Covid-19 crisis, Jordan said at the Skift Global Forum in New York on Thursday. And that is even the case after the airline raised its starting wage to $15 an hour, a level that Jordan said has become the "de facto" minimum wage across the U.S.
