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.
View Full Article Here