--- title: "What the Joby and Toyota Air Taxi Deal Means for US…" canonical: "https://www.metaintro.com/blog/joby-toyota-air-taxi-deal-us-factory-jobs" language: "en" author: "drashtigarach" published: "2026-07-01T11:49:56.000Z" modified: "2026-10-02T19:39:58.946Z" --- [Back to Blog](/blog) [News](/blog/tag/news)[Jobs](/blog/tag/jobs)[Hiring](/blog/tag/hiring)[Technology](/blog/tag/technology)[Economy](/blog/tag/economy) # What the Joby and Toyota Air Taxi Deal Means for US Factory Jobs Joby and Toyota's air taxi venture could build up to 500 aircraft a year and add hundreds of US factory jobs. See what skills these new roles will need. [![Drashti Garach](https://cdn.metaintro.com/rs:fill:40:40/q:72/plain/images/5719d740-e510-42bc-8017-e040d145f35f_1766029465094.png)Drashti Garach @DrashtiGarach](/blog/author/drashtigarach) [July 1, 2026](/blog/archive/2026/07)Updated October 2, 202613 min read ![What the Joby and Toyota Air Taxi Deal Means for US Factory Jobs](https://cdn.metaintro.com/rs:fill:1200:675/q:78/plain/images/5150.png) [https://x.com/intent/tweet?text=What%20the%20Joby%20and%20Toyota%20Air%20Taxi%20Deal%20Means%20for%20US%20Factory%20Jobs&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fjoby-toyota-air-taxi-deal-us-factory-jobs](https://x.com/intent/tweet?text=What%20the%20Joby%20and%20Toyota%20Air%20Taxi%20Deal%20Means%20for%20US%20Factory%20Jobs&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fjoby-toyota-air-taxi-deal-us-factory-jobs)[http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fjoby-toyota-air-taxi-deal-us-factory-jobs](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fjoby-toyota-air-taxi-deal-us-factory-jobs)[https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fjoby-toyota-air-taxi-deal-us-factory-jobs&title=What%20the%20Joby%20and%20Toyota%20Air%20Taxi%20Deal%20Means%20for%20US%20Factory%20Jobs](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fjoby-toyota-air-taxi-deal-us-factory-jobs&title=What%20the%20Joby%20and%20Toyota%20Air%20Taxi%20Deal%20Means%20for%20US%20Factory%20Jobs)[mailto:?subject=What%20the%20Joby%20and%20Toyota%20Air%20Taxi%20Deal%20Means%20for%20US%20Factory%20Jobs&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fjoby-toyota-air-taxi-deal-us-factory-jobs](mailto:?subject=What%20the%20Joby%20and%20Toyota%20Air%20Taxi%20Deal%20Means%20for%20US%20Factory%20Jobs&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fjoby-toyota-air-taxi-deal-us-factory-jobs) On June 30, 2026, [Joby Aviation](https://www.jobyaviation.com/) and [Toyota](https://www.toyota.com/) turned nearly a decade of collaboration into a real factory, launching a joint venture to mass produce electric air taxis on American soil, as reported by [Quartz](https://qz.com/joby-aviation-toyota-joint-venture-air-taxi-manufacturing-063026). For job seekers the headline is not the flying car, it is the plant. The deal is built to scale eVTOL production across California and Ohio, and Joby has already said its expanded [Marina facility](https://www.jobyaviation.com/news/joby-expands-manufacturing-capacity/) will add hundreds of full-time jobs. At [Metaintro](https://www.metaintro.com), we track where hiring is actually growing, and advanced manufacturing is one of the clearest bright spots of 2026. Here is what the venture means for factory workers and the skills these roles will demand. ## What did Joby and Toyota actually agree to? The two companies formed a new manufacturing entity, the Joby Toyota Aero Manufacturing Preparation Company (JTAMPC), that will be majority owned by Toyota at 51 percent with Joby holding 49 percent. According to Joby's [regulatory filing](https://www.stocktitan.net/sec-filings/JOBY/8-k-joby-aviation-inc-reports-material-event-ac7f485117eb.html), Toyota is putting in an initial 1.02 million dollars and Joby 980,000 dollars to stand the company up, with a much larger future investment tranche of 250 million dollars from Toyota tied to regulatory approvals and production milestones. The venture is designed to hold exclusive rights to manufacture Joby's S4 aircraft, the four-passenger eVTOL the company is racing to certify with the Federal Aviation Administration. This did not come out of nowhere. Toyota first backed Joby with a 400 million dollar investment in 2023, then committed another 500 million dollars in October 2024, with the [first 250 million dollar installment closing in May 2025](https://www.manufacturingdive.com/news/joby-evtol-air-taxi-capacity-ohio-california-facility-toyota-investment/753222/). What changed on June 30 is the shape of the relationship. Instead of a big investor writing checks, the world's largest automaker is now a hands-on manufacturing partner, bringing the production discipline it perfected on car assembly lines to a brand new aircraft category. For anyone who has worked in an auto plant, that detail matters, because it signals the kind of high-volume, quality-obsessed production system that creates stable factory employment rather than a short-lived prototype shop. ## Why does an air taxi factory matter for US manufacturing jobs? Manufacturing has had an uneven year. The sector [added about 5,000 jobs in January 2026](https://www.manufacturingdive.com/news/bls-5000-jobs-added-january-2026-jolts-december-2025/812007/) and then [15,000 in March](https://www.manufacturingdive.com/news/bls-employment-situation-march-job-openings-labor-turnover-february-2026/816494/), a wobbly recovery after a long stretch where [factory jobs kept slipping](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/factory-jobs-slipping-2026-blue-collar-workers-next-move) and workers were left wondering [where the factory jobs of 2026 actually are](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/where-are-factory-jobs-2026-manufacturing-stall). A brand new domestic production line for a high-value product runs against that drift. It is exactly the kind of [reshoring story](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/will-ai-bring-outsourced-jobs-back-to-us-2026) that puts advanced manufacturing back on the map for American workers. The pay math is the part job seekers should not miss. Aerospace product and parts manufacturing carried [the highest median annual wage of any manufacturing industry in 2024 at 91,630 dollars](https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics4_336400.htm), according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, precisely because building aircraft demands technical expertise and tight quality control. Air taxis sit at the crossroads of aerospace, automotive, and clean energy manufacturing, three fields that reward skilled hands. When a Toyota-scale operation plants a flag in that space, it tends to lift an entire regional supplier base, the same pattern we have seen when [GE Appliances added 800 US jobs](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/ge-appliances-adds-800-us-jobs-490-million-smart-factory) around a smart factory or when robotics maker [Standard Bots bet 200 million dollars on American factory jobs](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/standard-bots-200-million-american-factory-jobs-2026). ## How many jobs could the Joby Toyota venture create? Joby has not published a single headcount number for the venture, but its facility plans tell the story. The expanded [Marina, California site now spans about 435,500 square feet](https://www.jobyaviation.com/news/joby-expands-manufacturing-capacity/) and is designed to build up to 24 aircraft per year once fully operational, close to one every other week. Joby has said plainly that the Marina expansion will add hundreds of full-time jobs on its own. The bigger prize is in Ohio. Joby is standing up a [renovated facility at Dayton International Airport](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/07/joby-faa-air-taxi-evtol.html) that is being built to eventually produce up to 500 aircraft a year, more than 20 times the Marina site's capacity. A plant scaling toward that number cannot run on a skeleton crew. It needs assembly technicians, quality inspectors, test staff, materials handlers, and supervisors across multiple shifts. Joby's [investor materials on the California and Ohio expansion](https://ir.jobyaviation.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/133/joby-expands-manufacturing-capacity-in-california-and-ohio) describe a network that also includes a Santa Cruz headquarters focused on system architecture and a San Carlos site focused on powertrain and electronics. Each node in that network is a hiring center. When you stack the Marina jobs already promised on top of a Dayton line aiming at 500 aircraft a year, you are looking at a workforce measured in the many hundreds, and likely thousands as production ramps and suppliers scale up around it. ## What skills do advanced eVTOL manufacturing jobs require? An electric air taxi is a hybrid machine, part aircraft, part electric vehicle, part software platform, and its assembly line reflects that. The most in demand roles blend traditional trade skills with newer electronics and systems knowledge. Composite technicians who can lay up and cure the lightweight carbon-fiber structures are essential, as are electrical and battery assembly workers who handle high-voltage powertrains safely. Avionics and wiring specialists, precision machinists, and quality assurance inspectors round out the core production crew, and this is very much the [advanced factory floor that rewards electricians and welders as much as coders](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/ai-boom-needs-electricians-welders-not-coders-2026). The federal labor data shows steady demand for exactly these profiles. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects [about 13,100 openings a year for aircraft and avionics mechanics and technicians](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/aircraft-and-avionics-equipment-mechanics-and-technicians.htm) through 2034, along with [roughly 4,500 openings a year for aerospace engineers](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/aerospace-engineers.htm) and [about 900 a year for aerospace engineering technologists and technicians](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/aerospace-engineering-and-operations-technicians.htm). Many of these jobs do not require a four-year degree, which makes them a genuine [path to a high-paying career without a degree](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/high-paying-careers-without-degree-2026). If you already have automotive, aerospace, or general fabrication experience, most of your skills transfer, and the gap you close is usually specific certifications rather than a whole new education. That fits the broader [2026 hiring shift, where employers are chasing specific skills](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/2026-hiring-shift-employers-chase-specific-skills) instead of generic resumes. ## Which cities and regions stand to benefit? Geography is destiny in manufacturing hiring, and this venture concentrates opportunity in a few clear places. Marina and the wider Monterey County area of California anchor the pilot production line, while Dayton, Ohio is positioned to become the high-volume heart of the operation. Ohio already carries a deep aerospace and advanced manufacturing heritage, and a 500-aircraft-a-year line at its international airport would slot neatly into that base. Santa Cruz and San Carlos add engineering and powertrain roles in the Bay Area. For workers weighing a move, these are the kinds of metros to watch, and they line up with the broader map of [US cities winning the 2026 race for skilled worker jobs](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/us-cities-winning-2026-race-skilled-worker-jobs) and the wider list of [cities and companies hiring skilled workers](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/us-cities-companies-hiring-skilled-workers-2026). A single flagship plant rarely hires in isolation. It pulls in local suppliers, logistics firms, and training providers, which is how one factory can reshape a regional job market. ## What does this mean for your career? If you are in or near manufacturing, the practical move is to position yourself for advanced, higher-wage production work now, before the Dayton line fully ramps. Start by mapping your existing skills against aerospace requirements. An auto plant technician, a marine composites worker, or an EV battery assembler is already most of the way there. From there, targeted credentials do the heavy lifting. Community college aerospace programs, FAA airframe certifications, and composites or high-voltage safety courses are the fastest bridges, and many are subsidized through [federally funded manufacturing apprenticeships](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/manufacturing-apprenticeships-federal-funding-dol-guidance-2026). One direct route into this exact world is learning [how to become an aircraft mechanic in 2026](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/how-to-become-aircraft-mechanic-2026), a role that sits at the center of any aircraft production and maintenance operation. Beyond certifications, focus on the skills that survive automation and rising complexity. Reading technical schematics, running precision quality checks, and troubleshooting integrated electrical and software systems are the capabilities that keep advanced manufacturing workers valuable, and they are among the [in-demand skills worth building in 2026](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/in-demand-skills-worth-most-2026-how-to-build). This same skills race is already playing out across the car industry, where an [automotive AI hiring surge is reshaping carmaker jobs](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/automotive-ai-hiring-surge-2026-skills-race-carmaker-jobs), and the overlap with eVTOL production is significant. The workers who treat this moment as a cue to add a certification or two will be first in line when the postings go live. ## Is the air taxi manufacturing boom a safe bet for workers? A clear-eyed answer matters here. The S4 still needs to clear final FAA certification, and production ramps in a new aircraft category can slip, so no one should quit a stable job on the promise of a flying-taxi plant. Timelines in emerging manufacturing are rarely smooth, and the venture's larger 250 million dollar investment tranche is itself tied to hitting regulatory and production milestones, a reminder that the money scales with proof, not hype. The [long stall in US manufacturing hiring](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/us-manufacturing-worker-shortage-mckinsey-report) is real, and a single deal does not erase it. The reassuring part is that the skills pay off regardless of how fast air taxis take off. Composites, high-voltage systems, precision assembly, and aircraft maintenance are in demand across aerospace, defense, EVs, and the fast-growing [space economy that is projected to add hundreds of thousands of jobs](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/space-economy-hiring-373000-jobs-2026). If you build toward this venture and the ramp is slower than hoped, those same capabilities keep you employable across a wide slice of advanced manufacturing. That is the difference between chasing a single employer and building durable, transferable skill. The Joby and Toyota factory is a strong signal about where high-wage production work is heading, and the smartest response is to get skill-ready for it now. ## How does Toyota's production system shape these factory jobs? Toyota did not just write a check, it brought a manufacturing philosophy that has defined modern factory work for decades. The company is famous for lean production, continuous improvement, and a culture where frontline workers are expected to spot problems and fix them rather than wait for a supervisor. Folding that discipline into aircraft assembly changes the nature of the jobs on offer. Instead of narrow, repetitive stations, advanced eVTOL production leans on cross-trained technicians who understand how their piece fits into the whole aircraft and who can move between tasks as the line evolves. That is good news for workers, because it makes each role more skilled, harder to automate away, and better paid than a single-motion assembly job. It also raises the bar on hiring. A Toyota-influenced line values people who can read data, follow rigorous quality procedures, and contribute ideas, not just hands that repeat a motion. For anyone coming from an auto plant, warehouse, or general manufacturing background, this is a familiar and welcome shift, since the same habits that make a strong car-plant employee, attention to detail, safety discipline, and teamwork, transfer directly. The lesson for job seekers is that soft skills and shop-floor judgment matter as much as raw technical ability. Workers who can document a process, train a teammate, or flag a defect before it becomes expensive are exactly the people advanced manufacturers fight to keep, and that kind of reliability is what turns a first factory job into a long career. ## Can auto and EV workers move into eVTOL manufacturing? The overlap between building electric cars and building electric aircraft is one of the most encouraging parts of this story for displaced or nervous workers. Both rely on high-voltage battery systems, electric motors, lightweight materials, and tightly integrated software, so a technician who has assembled EV powertrains or worked on battery packs already speaks much of the language an eVTOL line needs. As traditional automakers retool and some plants shrink, that transferability gives auto workers a real second act rather than a dead end. The skills do not expire, they migrate to the next high-value product, and air taxis are shaping up to be one of those products. That does not mean the move is automatic. Aviation carries stricter certification and safety standards than automotive, so workers should expect to add credentials in areas like composite repair, aircraft assembly procedures, and quality systems built around federal aviation rules. The practical path is to treat your current job as a launchpad, bank the transferable experience you already have, and layer aviation-specific training on top through a community college program, an apprenticeship, or an employer-sponsored course. Workers who make that jump early, while the industry is still building its workforce, will have the pick of roles and the leverage that comes from being genuinely hard to replace. In a labor market where too many workers feel stuck, a clear bridge from today's skills into a growing, higher-wage field is exactly the kind of opportunity worth chasing. --- ## Related Articles - [Factory Jobs Are Slipping in 2026, What Blue-Collar Workers Should Do Next](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/factory-jobs-slipping-2026-blue-collar-workers-next-move) - [Where Are the Factory Jobs in 2026 as Manufacturing Stalls](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/where-are-factory-jobs-2026-manufacturing-stall) - [What May's Factory Growth Means for US Manufacturing Jobs](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/what-mays-factory-growth-means-us-manufacturing-jobs) - [The US Manufacturing Worker Shortage, McKinsey Report](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/us-manufacturing-worker-shortage-mckinsey-report) - [The AI Boom Needs Electricians and Welders, Not Just Coders](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/ai-boom-needs-electricians-welders-not-coders-2026) - [15 Skilled Trades That Pay Six Figures in 2026 With No Degree](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/15-skilled-trades-six-figures-2026-no-degree) - [Skilled Trades Workers Face a Hiring Crunch in 2026](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/skilled-trades-workers-hiring-crunch-2026) - [How to Become an Aircraft Mechanic in 2026](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/how-to-become-aircraft-mechanic-2026) - [GE Appliances Adds 800 US Jobs With a 490 Million Dollar Smart Factory](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/ge-appliances-adds-800-us-jobs-490-million-smart-factory) - [Standard Bots Bets 200 Million Dollars on American Factory Jobs](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/standard-bots-200-million-american-factory-jobs-2026) - [An American Tech Manufacturing Success Story for 2026](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/american-tech-manufacturing-success-story-2026) - [US Cities Winning the 2026 Race for Skilled Worker Jobs](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/us-cities-winning-2026-race-skilled-worker-jobs) --- ## People Also Asked ### Q: Is the Joby and Toyota air taxi venture creating jobs in the United States? A: Yes. The manufacturing is planned for US sites, with an expanded [Marina, California facility](https://www.jobyaviation.com/news/joby-expands-manufacturing-capacity/) that Joby says will add hundreds of full-time jobs, plus a Dayton, Ohio plant being built to eventually produce up to 500 aircraft a year, which points to a much larger workforce as the line ramps. ### Q: What jobs will the Joby air taxi factory hire for? A: Expect advanced manufacturing roles such as composite technicians, electrical and battery assemblers, avionics and wiring specialists, precision machinists, quality inspectors, and test technicians, alongside aerospace engineers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects [about 13,100 aircraft mechanic and technician openings a year](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/aircraft-and-avionics-equipment-mechanics-and-technicians.htm) through 2034. ### Q: Do you need a college degree to work in eVTOL manufacturing? A: Often no. Many production and mechanic roles rely on trade skills, FAA certifications, and hands-on experience rather than a four-year degree, which makes them a realistic [high-paying career path without a degree](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/high-paying-careers-without-degree-2026) for workers with automotive, aerospace, or fabrication backgrounds. Advanced manufacturing is quietly becoming one of the strongest bets in the job market, and deals like this one are why. At [Metaintro](https://www.metaintro.com), we surface where high-wage production and skilled-trade hiring is actually happening so you can move first. 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