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Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisor Job Outlook

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of aircraft cargo handling supervisors to grow 9.2% from 2025 to 2035 (about 900 more jobs), with about 900 openings a year, and the May 2025 median pay of $58,170 a year ranks 457th of 825 occupations.

Occupation Aircraft Cargo Handling SupervisorsSOC 53-1041Projection 2025 to 2035Pay period May 2025
Projected change
+9.2%
Openings a year
900
Median pay
$58,170
Pay rank
457th of 825

Is employment of aircraft cargo handling supervisors growing or shrinking?

Growing: BLS projects employment of aircraft cargo handling supervisors to rise 9.2% (about 900 more jobs) from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% projected across all occupations. That is faster than the +4.3% summed from BLS's employment levels across the 50 transportation and material moving occupations with a projection. That change ranks 75th of 830 projected occupations.

MeasureFigure
Employment, 20259,700
Employment, 203510,600
Projected change+9.2%
Openings a year900

Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035. A projection is a BLS estimate, not a count. The 9,700 jobs here differ from the 9,760 on the salary page because Employment Projections also counts the self-employed and a wider set of workers, while OEWS counts wage and salary jobs in May 2025. BLS published these projections on August 27, 2026; checked November 10, 2026. Confirm any figure in the BLS Employment Projections tables.

BLS's reasons for this projection are at the Occupational Outlook Handbook. State projections are at Projections Central; projections by industry are left to BLS. Education, licensing and work context at O*NET.

How many job openings are there each year?

About 900 openings a year, from job growth and from workers leaving the occupation, the 679th most of 830 occupations. About 90% of them replace workers who change occupations or leave the labor force; the rest come from the 90 jobs added in an average year.

Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.

How does pay for aircraft cargo handling supervisors rank?

The median of $58,170 a year ranks 457th of 825 occupations with a published median. It sits in the lower half of occupations on both pay and openings.

$41,69010th percentile$20.04 an hour
$49,82025th percentile$23.95 an hour
$58,170Median$27.97 an hour
$78,53075th percentile$37.75 an hour
$92,16090th percentile$44.31 an hour

Source: BLS OEWS national file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Ranks count only the occupations with that published figure: 830 for projected change, 830 for openings, 825 for median pay, which is why the totals differ.

What does it take to start?

Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, education and training assignments.

How do related jobs compare on outlook?

OccupationChangeOpenings a yearMedian pay
Airfield Operations Specialists+7.8%1,500$56,850
Transportation Inspectors+2.2%2,300$92,100
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators+1.5%64,700$46,420
Commercial Pilots+5.2%5,200$123,220
Air Traffic Controllers+1.7%2,100$148,080
Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters+0.9%3,000$78,000
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand+1.8%340,500$40,240
Aircraft Service Attendants+5.6%4,000$40,450

Related occupations from O*NET; projections from BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035; pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

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