Trump Admin Turns To Gamers For Critical Safety Roles

The Trump administration has launched a recruiting campaign aimed at gamers as it looks to address a nationwide air traffic controller shortage. 

A recruitment video released on Friday by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) tells gamers they can put their skills to work directing airline traffic while earning high salaries. The hiring window opens on April 17 and will be capped at 8,000 applicants, the New York Times reported. 

“Become an air traffic controller. It’s not a game. It’s a career,” the text of the campaign says. “You’ll keep millions of people safe every day. (And make a lot of money).”

The video blends clips of people playing video games like Fortnite with footage of busy airports, noting that average salaries can reach $155,000 after three years. 

“To reach the next generation of air traffic controllers, we need to adapt,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told The New York Times, adding that the campaign “taps into a growing demographic of young adults who have many of the hard skills it takes to be a successful controller.”

The FAA currently has around 11,000 air traffic controllers on staff, short of its target of 14,663 positions. 

“We’re really going to start to see gains about two and a half to three years from now,” Heather Fernuik, the executive director of the FAA’s human resources office, told The Times. 

The hiring process can be lengthy, with certification taking up to six years, including initial screenings, a four- to six-month FAA training course, and on-the-job training. 

The FAA hired more than 1,800 controllers in fiscal year 2024, exceeding its hiring benchmarks. The agency plans to bring on at least 8,900 new controllers through 2028 and has moved to speed up hiring by increasing starting pay and streamlining the process.  

Still, a shortage persists. A January 2026 report from the Government Accountability Office found that while applications have surged in recent years, the number of controllers has fallen by about 6% even as flights have increased by roughly 10%.  

The report blamed government shutdowns, the COVID pandemic, and a high number of people dropping out of the workforce from 2019 to 2024.

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