US shipbuilders are trying to bring younger workers into their yards, and that means adapting to a generation with different expectations and a willingness to walk away if the job isn’t the right fit.
The priorities of younger workers are prompting changes in how the US Navy’s Submarine Industrial Base Program Office, alongside federal and local partners, approaches recruiting. While there are no overnight fixes to a problem that’s been growing for decades, progress is being made on meeting workers where they’re at and recognizing gaps.
Over the next 10 years, the Navy estimates it will need to hire 250,000 skilled workers to meet its shipbuilding goals. The hiring also accounts for potential attrition, including the retirement of older workers. About 27% of the US maritime workforce is over 55 years old.
Erica Logan, deputy director for workforce at the office, said that the program office and its partners are trying to attract a new generation of workers who see shipbuilding as a stable, long-term career, which means paying closer attention to what younger employees value.
“When I look at what the younger worker is attracted to, I think of work-life balance, I think of flexible schedules, I think of this mentality where you don’t want to take a lot of work home with you, right?” Logan said, adding that a strong starting wage, financial stability, and a good company culture are also important.
Some of those expectations can fit naturally with submarine construction and repair. Workers may have set shifts on a “four-on, three-off” schedule, giving them more predictable time away from the job, for example.
Younger workers also appear to be seeking greater control over how work fits into their lives. Logan pointed to gig jobs like driving for Uber or Lyft as examples of work that can appeal to people who value flexibility, even if it does not offer the same stability as a shipyard career.
“We actually had a campaign on careers built to last that addressed this sort of gig economy,” she said. The campaign asked: “Why have five jobs when you can have one good job at the shipyard?”
But the program office and the broader submarine supply chain also recognize a challenge in recruiting for trade jobs. The work is hard and physically demanding. Logan said younger workers need “a realistic job preview” before they sign on.
“We don’t want to be disingenuous,” she said.
Yard work can expose workers to tough conditions and laborious work with heavy materials, tools, and extreme temperatures. Younger workers who leave jobs quickly after being hired often find the conditions were different from what they expected. These younger employees are generally more willing to leave their positions after only a few years if pay isn’t competitive or if there’s a better quality of life elsewhere.
But the recruiting environment remains ripe, especially for people interested in the technology and mission, Logan said. “I think some young people would really be passionate about this mission, this national security imperative,” she added.
There are pipelines to move recent high school graduates directly into trade training, but Logan said these jobs appear to have particular appeal for workers in their early to mid-20s — people who may have tried gig work and are looking for something more permanent, better paying, and more stable, including benefits like reliable health insurance.
Workforce issues have been one element of the Navy’s larger shipbuilding problems. In recent years, the sea service has been pushing to revitalize its industrial base and get major programs back on track and budget, but many of these issues trace back decades and will take time and investments to fix.
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