For the first time since at least 2016, hiring at Boeing ($BA) stalled after the aerospace company became deeply ensnared in the disastrous launch of its new 737 MAX aircraft. In early 2019, new job openings at the company dropped 85% in the space of weeks, from 2,160 openings to 366 in what could only be described as a near-complete hiring freeze.

But since then, the company has begun hiring again, with openings back to 1,740 in a sign of near recovery, at least on the job-creation front.

This recovery, from the aforementioned low of 366 open positions to 1,740, is an increase of 375% in the space of just 4 months.

While the change indicates good things for Boeing, it doesn't necessarily mean good things for the still-stalled 737 MAX. That's because most of the hiring activity appears to be happening at Boeing's defense and aerospace facilities, rather than for its commercial fleet manufacturing and service locations.

In terms of new job listings and hiring priority quarter-over-quarter, Boeing's Oklahoma City plant moved from the 6th most in-demand location to 2nd, behind Saint Louis. Oklahoma City is where Boeing is working on modifications and upgrades to AWACS, B-52s and B-1 bombers, and "Flying Pentagon" E-4Bs.

Meanwhile, at Renton, where Boeing was manufacturing the 737 MAX, hiring hasn't recovered in a way to indicate that the 737 MAX project is being spun up.

Openings at Renton remain at just 25. In Early 2019 when the company was scrambling to make the 737 MAX project work, hiring spiked to as many as 64 openings.

About the Data: 

Thinknum tracks companies using the information they post online - jobs, social and web traffic, product sales and app ratings - and creates data sets that measure factors like hiring, revenue and foot traffic. Data sets may not be fully comprehensive (they only account for what is available on the web), but they can be used to gauge performance factors like staffing and sales. 

Further Reading: 

Ad placeholder