July 03, 2025

A Workforce Strategy for America’s Shipbuilding Future

By: Katherine L. Kuzminski

It’s no secret that America’s shipbuilding workforce is in crisis. The nation is struggling to retain a sufficient workforce to meet existing requirements. It’s also no secret that China is outpacing the United States in shipbuilding at a rate of six to 1.8 combatant ships and a staggering 200 to one in commercial ships. President Donald Trump’s April 9, 2025, executive order, “Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance,” calls for a Maritime Action Plan directing the secretaries of state, defense, labor, transportation, education, and homeland security to deliver recommendations to address workforce challenges. Put simply: The United States needs people to build ships and effectively compete with China. This rare moment of bipartisan agreement on the need to restore America’s maritime dominance lays the groundwork to focus on practical skills, tap into patriotic and underserved labor pools, modernize hiring practices, and expand shipbuilding beyond traditional hubs.

One of us (Schmiegel) is a senior executive at Orion Talent, a company that specializes in talent acquisition support for maritime industrial base suppliers, who therefore has a commercial interest in this outcome. However, the role also offers direct, practical insight into the challenges faced by both employers and prospective employees within the maritime industrial base. This perspective is shared here to provide additional context to the story depicted by data alone.

The future of American maritime dominance will not be determined solely by the number of ships launched or contracts signed, but rather by the strength and sustainability of the workforce behind them.

And the data is daunting: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the current ship and boat building workforce includes approximately 146,500 employees. However, workforce demands in the shipbuilding industry are projected to more than double over the next decade to keep pace with strategic requirements. The skilled workforce is further impacted by an aging population, with the average age of skilled workers at 55 and many nearing retirement. Turnover among younger members of the shipbuilding workforce is high, with shipyards reporting attrition rates of 20 percent or more.

Attracting new talent remains a challenge, as most high school graduates have limited exposure to trade skills and are typically encouraged to pursue college attendance over vocational or trade school pathways. For their part, the nation’s leading shipbuilders offer pathways to entry and competitive pay. Apprenticeship programs provide paid, on-the-job training in specific shipbuilding trades. Pay and benefits are competitive, with an average salary between $62,400 and $83,200 (compared to the U.S. average individual income of $39,982 and the average household income of $78,538). Yet the current approach is inadequate to meet existing demand, let alone build a workforce capable of supporting future needs.

Read the full article on War on the Rocks.

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