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Bloomberg
The US government wants to hire 6,000 new airport security screeners by the summer as progress in vaccinating people for Covid-19 is projected to lead to an increase in travel.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced a nationwide recruitment effort, even as the coronavirus continues to significantly depress airline passenger levels. Seasonal travel trends — summer is the busiest time of the year for airlines — and a forecast of progress in addressing the coronavirus pandemic led to the hiring, the TSA said. Already, Covid-19 cases are down sharply from January peaks, and vaccination rates are expanding.
“We expect to screen a higher number of travelers regularly by the summer months and will need additional officers to support our critical mission,†Melanie Harvey, acting executive assistant administrator for TSA’s security operations, said in the release.
The number of TSA security officers fell from 50,000 last year to about 46,000 now, according to an agency statement. The agency had curtailed hiring while the pandemic caused steep declines in air travel.