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A new air traffic controller hiring campaign from the Department of Transportation (DOT) is targeting gamers to address a longtime staffing shortage. 
The DOT's new ad shows clips of video games and tells potential applicants: 'You've been training for this ... become an air traffic controller. It's not a game. It's a career.'

'To reach the next generation of air traffic controllers, we need to adapt,' Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement. 'This campaign's innovative communication style and focus on gaming taps into a growing demographic of young adults who have many of the hard skills it takes to be a successful controller.'

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said they're targeting young adults with transferable skills, like high cognitive functions, multitasking, spatial awareness, strategy and problem solving. In controller exit interviews, the FAA said, several controllers have pointed to gaming 'as an influence on their ability to think quickly, stay focused, and manage complexity.'

The agency said only about 25% of controllers have a college degree, so they're targeting outreach to focus on people pursuing alternative career paths.

Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controller's Association, said in a statement: 'Our union welcomes innovative approaches to expanding the candidate pool--including outreach to individuals with high-level aptitude skills such as gamers--so long as all pathways maintain the rigorous standards required of this safety-critical profession.'

The FAA has struggled with air traffic controller staffing in recent years. According to a Government Accountability Office report from late last year, the number of controllers declined by about 6% over the past 10 years. At the same time, flights increased by 10% and travel surged after the pandemic.

Staffing shortages have also been fueled by several government shutdowns, the suspended and reduced training during the COVID-19 pandemic and high attrition in the workplace.

The FAA said it currently has its highest ATC staffing level in six years, with almost 11,000 controllers in service and more than 4,000 trainees -- but that's still below a target of 14,500 that the agency needs to be fully staffed.

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