News
Defense Industry · Groton · Submarine Construction · Workforce Development
Groton, CT, the self-proclaimed "Submarine Capital of the World," confronts significant maritime workforce challenges, with General Dynamics Electric Boat Shipyard (EB) planning to hire 3,000 more workers after adding 2,500 in 2021 to combat attrition and support a boom in submarine construction.
This comes despite 64.8 percent of Groton's 2020 workforce being directly associated with the submarine community, including 10,350 persons at Naval Submarine Base New London (SUBASE NLON) and 8,092 at EB. The current labor shortage stems from a decline in naval activity and submarine construction between 1989 and 2017, which saw EB's Groton employment drop from 15,000 in 1990.
EB President Kevin Graney leads aggressive hiring campaigns to address these issues. The article emphasizes the need to attract recently separated or retired veterans, particularly submariners, by improving rating-to-job conversions and dispelling negative perceptions of "blue-collar" shipyard work.
Rebuilding the symbiotic relationship between EB and SUBASE NLON is essential for Groton to maintain its vital role in the U.S. naval industrial base.
