Young people told by their parents to stop wasting their time playing video games and get a job now have a way to meld the two together, courtesy of the Department of Transportation.

As the U.S. deals with a dangerous shortage of air traffic controllers , Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Friday the department would be targeting gamers to join the ranks of employees sitting in airport control towers.

"To reach the next generation of air traffic controllers, we need to adapt," 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 agency has been dealing with ATC shortages at many airports across the country over the past decade. Increasing numbers is a top priority for Duffy. The Federal Aviation Administration employed 6% fewer air traffic controllers in fiscal year 2025 versus 2015, despite a 10% increase in total flights between fiscal years 2015 and 2024, according to a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office released in December.

Newark Liberty International Airport was particularly hard-hit last year due to staffing shortages at the Philadelphia air traffic control facility that manages flights into the New Jersey airport. The government shutdown last November also exacerbated many issues with air traffic controller shortages as employees were forced to work without pay for more than a month. Others decided to leave the industry entirely.

"The failure to pay air traffic controllers for 44 days created uncertainty, drove many experienced controllers out of the profession and harmed the recruitment pipeline," a spokesperson from the Department of Transportation told CBS News in November.

The government points out that more than 200 million people in the U.S. regularly play video games.

"With only about 25 percent of controllers holding a traditional college degree, this effort is focused on reaching talented young people pursuing alternative career paths, many of whom are active in gaming," the department said in its press release. "Feedback from controller exit interviews reinforces this, with several controllers pointing to gaming as an influence on their ability to think quickly, stay focused, and manage complexity."

Even though it doesn't require a traditional college degree, prospective air traffic controllers must pass an aptitude test and get medical and security clearance before they can begin training, according to GAO . They then progress to a four- to six-month training course at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City, and extensive on-the-job training, according to GAO. In total, it could take two to six years to become a certified air traffic controller.

The agency touted that it met its fiscal year 2025 goals with more than 2,000 air traffic controllers being hired, and said it is already halfway to its 2026 goal.

In 2024 the last year for which federal data is available the median annual wage for air traffic controllers was $144,580, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics .

But pay varies widely based on experience and location. Annual income for less experienced controllers at smaller airports is closer to $60,000, according to aviation experts.

Federal Aviation AdministrationAir Traffic ControllersSean DuffyVideo Games

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那些曾被父母告诫不要浪费时间打游戏、赶紧找工作的年轻人，如今在美国交通部的助力下，找到了一条将二者结合的新途径。

美国正面临空中交通管制员严重短缺的危机。周五，交通部长肖恩·达菲宣布，该部门将瞄准游戏玩家群体，招募其加入机场塔台管制员队伍。

达菲在一份声明中表示："为了吸引新一代空中交通管制员，我们必须与时俱进。这次宣传活动采用创新的沟通方式，并以游戏为切入点，成功触达了不断增长的年轻群体——他们已具备成为优秀管制员所需的诸多硬技能。"

过去十年间，该机构一直在应对全国多地机场的空中交通管制员短缺问题。增加人手是达菲（Duffy）的首要任务。根据美国政府问责办公室12月发布的报告，尽管2015至2024财年间航班总量增加了10%，但美国联邦航空管理局2025财年雇用的空管人员数量较2015年减少了6%。

由于负责管理新泽西州机场航班的费城空中交通管制中心人员短缺，纽瓦克自由国际机场去年受到严重影响。去年11月的政府停摆进一步加剧了空中交通管制员短缺的问题，员工被迫无薪工作一个多月，另一些人则决定彻底离开该行业。

美国交通部发言人在11月向哥伦比亚广播公司新闻透露："空中交通管制员连续44天未能领到薪水，这一情况引发了行业不确定性，导致许多经验丰富的管制员离职，并对人才招募渠道造成了损害。"

美国政府指出，全美有超过2亿人经常玩电子游戏。

该部门在新闻稿中表示：“目前仅有约25%的空管人员持有传统大学学位，此项计划旨在吸引追求非传统职业道路的优秀年轻人，其中许多人活跃于游戏领域。离职空管人员的反馈也印证了这一点，多位受访者指出游戏锻炼了他们快速思考、保持专注和处理复杂情况的能力。”

根据美国政府问责局（GAO）的报告，尽管空中交通管制员不需要传统大学学历，但候选人必须通过能力测试，并获得医疗和安全许可才能开始培训。随后，他们将在俄克拉荷马城的联邦航空管理局学院接受四到六个月的培训课程，并进行大量的在职培训。总体而言，要成为一名认证的空中交通管制员可能需要两到六年的时间。

该机构宣称已实现2025财年目标，成功招聘逾2000名空中交通管制员，并表示已完成2026年目标的一半进度。

美国劳工统计局数据显示，2024年（联邦数据可查的最新年度）空中交通管制员的年薪中位数为144,580美元。

但薪资水平因经验和地区差异而存在显著波动。航空专家指出，在规模较小的机场，经验较少的空管人员年收入约为6万美元。

美国联邦航空管理局空中交通管制员肖恩·达菲电子游戏

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