Ohio, Pa. to Benefit from New Unmanned Aircraft
ARLINGTON, Va. -- Ohio and Pennsylvania are poised to land nearly 4,000 new jobs in three years following integration of unmanned aircraft into the National Airspace System, finds a new report. Ohio is projected to create 1,844 jobs and Pennsylvania 2021.
Integration is scheduled to begin in 2015, according to the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. After the first three years, the study projects that more than 2,725 more jobs will be created in Ohio by 2025 and more than 2,986 jobs in Pennsylvania. The numbers include both direct and indirect manufacturing jobs.
“This is an incredibly exciting time for an industry developing technology that will benefit society, as well as the economy,” said Michael Toscano, president and CEO of the association. “In recent years, unmanned aircraft technology has grown remarkably and is already proving useful in a range of domestic applications. Integrating UAS into the national airspace will lead to new and expanded uses, which means the creation of quality, high-paying jobs.”
"While we project more than 100,000 new jobs [nationwide] by 2025, states that create favorable regulatory and business environments for the industry and the technology will likely siphon jobs away from states that do not," wrote the author of the report, Darryl Jenkins, a former professor at George Washington University and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.
The study also found that the jobs created as a result of integration will be quality, high-paying positions. These highly skilled positions have starting salaries around $55,000 per year and many have the potential to increase to upward of $100,000 and more per year. Integration is projected to lead to 103,776 new jobs nationally by 2025. Many are portable and will gravitate toward states with favorable regulatory structures and infrastructure. Future events -- such as establishment of FAA Test Sites -- ultimately will determine where many of these new jobs will follow.
Specifically to Ohio and Pennsylvania, the study found:
- In the first three years following integration, the total economic impact to Ohio is projected to surpass $359 million and that should grow sustantially for the foreseeable future, cumulating in more than $2.15 billion in economic impact by 2025. Economic impact includes the monies that flow to manufacturers and suppliers from the sale of new products as well as the taxes and monies that flow into communities and support the local businesses.
- Additional economic benefit will be seen through additional tax revenues to Ohio, which will total more than $14.6 million, in the first decade following the integration.
- Based on the current activity in Pennsylvania, the state is projected to create 2,021 jobs from 2015 to 2017. In the first three years following integration, the total economic impact to Pennsylvania is projected to surpass $393 million and the authors expect that rate of growth is sustainable, cumulating in more than $2.36 billion in economic growth by 2025. Economic impact includes the monies that flow to manufacturers and suppliers from the sale of new products as well as the taxes and monies that flow into communities and support the local businesses.
- Additional economic benefit will be seen through tax revenue to Pennsylvania, which will total more than $12.12 million, in the first decade following the integration.
Nationally, the precision agriculture industry is expected to be the largest market for unmanned aircraft, the study finds. The technology will help farmers monitor crops and distribute pesticides. This could help improve efficiency and reduce the levels of pesticides sprayed, Jenkins says.
SOURCE: The report was commissioned by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International and developed by Jenkins, an aviation industry economist with more than 30 years of experience.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.