Source page: McKinsey & Company
March 10, 2026
Future of Work | Talent | Education
The US shipbuilding industry faces a significant labor gap, requiring additional employees to meet commercial and military demand.
The US shipbuilding industry faces a significant labor gap, requiring an additional 200,000 to 250,000 maritime employees over the next decade to meet commercial and military demand. A large portion of this hiring will be needed to replace workers who are retiring or leaving the industry. McKinsey’s Brooke Weddle, Ryan Brukardt, Wan-Lae Cochran, and Andy Voelker note that the most acute needs will be in skilled trades.
For example, up to 20,000 welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers will be needed by 2033. Shipbuilding stakeholders can focus on five critical actions to improve the maritime talent pool, including strengthening the value proposition for shipbuilding careers and bolstering the talent pipeline from educational institutions to shipyards.
To read the article, see “Helming a sea change: Building the future workforce for US shipbuilding,” January 12, 2026.The preview updates when you finish a field or release a slider. Saving only stores this page’s widget settings and spreadsheet data in this browser and does not write back to WordPress.