Shipbuilding and submarine work accounted for 7,900 of the 12,200 jobs supported by Ministry of Defence spending with industry in Scotland in 2024/25, according to official statistics published on Friday, a rise of nearly 18 per cent on the previous year.
The figure represents close to two thirds of the Scottish total, and the increase of 1,200 jobs from 6,700 accounts for the bulk of the 800 net rise in defence industry employment across Scotland over the same period.
Other construction supported 800 jobs, with weapons and ammunition at 200 and aircraft and spacecraft also at 200.
The National Armaments Director Group attributed the concentration to the two frigate programmes, stating that the Type 26 supports 2,000 jobs at BAE Systems’ Govan and Scotstoun yards on the Clyde, while the Type 31 accounts for 1,250 directly employed at Babcock’s Rosyth yard in Fife.
Those two programmes therefore account for around 3,250 of the 7,900, with the balance spread across submarine support at Faslane, supply chain work and the wider marine engineering base.
Douglas Alexander, the Scottish Secretary, said: “From investing in naval shipbuilding expertise on the Clyde and at Rosyth, to our nuclear deterrent and submarine support at Faslane, to our world-leading strengths in cyber, space, advanced radar and electronic warfare, we are supporting thousands of jobs and opening exciting career pathways for young Scots.”
The department also points to Norway’s £10 billion Type 26 order, which it says will sustain over 2,000 jobs and support more than 100 Scottish businesses including over 50 small and medium-sized enterprises.
A defence industrial base weighted this heavily towards two frigate programmes is exposed to what happens when they finish, a point made forcefully this week at Ferguson Marine, where the Port Glasgow yard opened a voluntary redundancy programme covering up to 70 staff as work on the ferry Glen Rosa winds down and its BAE Systems subcontract work concludes.
Graeme Downie, the MP whose constituency covers Rosyth, has been pressing the department to confirm that the planned Common Combat Vessel will use the Type 31 hull and be built at the Fife yard, an argument about precisely this problem.
Across the United Kingdom, MOD expenditure with industry totalled £31.9 billion in 2024/25, supporting 274,000 jobs.
This is great news, but productivity (on a per ship delivered basis) is awful. Scotland – it’s time to actually deliver a ship fast and on time. That means challenging Government to let you deliver fast. Show the world that you can build ships with quality and quickly will bring you more work. Be brave.