Boeing noted that currently, 25% of their workforce is eligible for retirement,
They are just laying the
PR groundwork for more H-1B visas.
Back in the old days, Boeing used to build furniture just to keep their skilled carpenters busy during downturns. And hydrofoils, windmills, paving equipment, software, etc., etc. Not because they thought they could do a better job than the incumbents, but to keep some income coming in to help cover their pay.
Back in the late '90s, we (at Boeing) were shown a graph of commercial aircraft production, Boeing vs Airbus. The Boeing production rates swung wildly as demand ebbed and flowed while the Airbus rates were a smooth ramp, heading upwards. Management was complaining about the expense involved with having to staff up every time their was an uptick in production. Their solution: Push that problem out the door to their supplier chain.
Now, with this 787 egg on their face and some recent screw-ups involving electromagnetic compatibility issues and portable computing devices, I'm wondering which engineers would want a career at Boeing in the future.