Air Traffic Control Hiring Surges Under Trump

The Trump administration is touting a recent effort to hire more air traffic controllers with a campaign targeting video gamers – following similar and successful efforts by President Trump to match U.S. industries in need of skilled labor with those who already have the built-in skills.

The announcement was made Sunday by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who said in an X post that the 'best and the brightest" campaign, started in April, has met 94% of its hiring goal, which was reached in record time with over 2,000 applicants hired.

"They problem-solve, they're spatially aware, they do multiple things at the same time," Duffy said about the compatible skills between gamers and air traffic controllers.

Gaming with Higher Stakes — the American Skies 

Under Trump, Duffy and the Federal Aviation Administration launched a targeted recruiting campaign to address a persistent national shortage of air traffic controllers by specifically appealing to the "gamers."

Video gamers frequently utilize multitasking skills, pattern recognition, predictive thinking, rapid decision-making, and are accustomed to sustained attention on screens, all of which are skills emphasized in the air traffic industry.

Officials frequently noted that exit interviews with outgoing controllers often cited gaming experience as beneficial and that internal polling of academy graduates found nearly all were gamers, while only about 25% of controllers hold a traditional college degree.

The campaign released flashy YouTube ads incorporating footage from popular games like Fortnite, Madden NFL, and League of Legends, along with Xbox branding, under slogans such as “You’ve been training for this” and “It’s not a game. It’s a career,” while promoting average salaries exceeding $155,000 after three years, paid training and government benefits.

As a result, applications for the “Air Traffic Control Specialist – Trainee” role initially capped at 8,000 but ultimately drew over 12,000 submissions in a short period, which Duffy called “wildly successful.”

The video gaming industry has exploded in popularity, with over 200 million Americans playing video games one or more hours per week. Up from about 3% the previous year, the average player is 37, with nearly even gender representation.

Freedom Haulers Initiative Pairs Veterans’ Heavy-Vehicle Experience With Trucking

In July, Trump and Duffy also launched the Freedom Haulers initiative at the White House to fast-track veterans into commercial trucking careers. The effort expands the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Military Skills Test Waiver, extending the eligibility window from one year to two years after separation so veterans with at least two years of safe military heavy-vehicle experience can skip the commercial driver’s license road-skills test.

It also broadens the Even Exchange program (now in 34 states) that can waive the knowledge test and directs veterans without prior heavy-vehicle experience toward expedited training. Industry partners, including Werner Enterprises, which pledged to hire 1,400 veterans and military spouses in 2027, have signed on.

Veteran truck drivers have 42% fewer accidents, while federal enforcement has sidelined more than 26,000 commercial drivers for failing English-language proficiency tests requiring the ability to read road signs, communicate with officials, and complete records.

In addition, audits uncovered tens of thousands of improperly issued non-domiciled CDLs (Commercial Driver's License), including California’s revocation of about 21,000 and nationwide figures exceeding 28,000, often linked to illegal immigrants whose legal status had expired or was unverified, contributing to safety concerns raised by high-profile fatal crashes.

Skills and Experience Over Classrooms and Diplomas

Building on a first-term executive order and accelerating it in the second term, the Office of Personnel Management revised qualification standards across hundreds of federal occupational series, including the 2210 IT management series, to prioritize formal skills assessments over educational credentials or self-reported experience.

OPM Director Scott Kupor has described the shift as replacing “proxies for merit” with evaluations of actual job-related abilities, such as coding tests for technical roles.

The Merit Hiring Plan and related guidance direct agencies to use validated assessments, limit degree requirements where they are not essential, and open pathways for candidates with practical skills. It aligns non-degree holders and those with alternative experience more directly with federal workforce needs in technology, management, and other areas.

Reprinted with Permission from Just The News - By Amanda Head