Gain essential insights into the Texas aerospace talent market with our H2 2025 report. This guide explores how statewide investment, industry expansion, and emerging aerospace ventures are shaping hiring demand across Texas in the second half of the year.
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Aerospace (Texas) H2 2025 Talent Report
Matthew Turner
12th Jan 2026
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Key Highlights
- Market Trends: The Texas aerospace industry continued to grow strongly throughout H2 2025, building on post-pandemic recovery and reaching all-time employment highs. Aerospace now supports around 199,000 jobs, representing roughly 9% of the U.S. aerospace and defense workforce, with nearly $93 billion in economic output. State-backed initiatives, including a $350m aerospace fund and the launch of a new Space Commission, are accelerating private aviation and space activity across Texas.
- Emerging Ecosystems: Alongside established aerospace and defense employers, Texas is home to a growing group of lean, high-growth aerospace companies. Early-stage firms such as Slingshot Aerospace in Austin, Omnia Aerospace in Dallas, and Venus Aerospace in Houston are scaling from focused R&D teams into broader engineering organisations, aligning closely with the future direction of aerospace activity in the state.
- Hiring Challenges: Despite strong employment growth, companies across Texas report persistent difficulty securing qualified engineers and technicians. Shortages are most acute in systems engineering, avionics, advanced manufacturing, and specialised software roles. These constraints are slowing hiring and extending project timelines, prompting increased investment in local training programmes, university partnerships, and relocation incentives to attract talent statewide.
- Future Outlook: Demand is expected to remain robust into 2026 as state investment continues and Texas strengthens its position as a major aerospace hub. Companies that can engage early-career talent, partner closely with academic institutions, and offer compelling relocation or development opportunities will be best positioned to overcome skills shortages and scale effectively.