However, she said the push to rebuild the sector could bring a potential £342m boost to the Scottish economy, which has recently been boosted by increased defence investment.
In the early 20th century, it was thought that one-fifth of the world’s ships were built on the River Clyde in Glasgow, with 70,000 vessels in the city alone, but after high demand during World War I and II, the industry has since declined rapidly, due to competition from other countries such as China, Japan and Korea.
Analysis of the latest government figures by Rift shows that in 2021, the Scottish shipbuilding sector employed just 6,700 workers, representing just 0.36% of total Scottish employment figures, with an estimated six vessels built over the year, all of which were either workboats or fishing vessels.
This number is down about 12% from its peak over the past decade when 7,600 workers were employed in 2017, however, it has been steadily rising in recent years.
Between 2017 and 2019, the number of workers in the sector fell from 7,600 to 6,200, the lowest number recorded in the past decade.
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This number has since risen steadily to 6,700 in 2021, with Scottish shipbuilding remaining a £1 billion industry, with turnover of £1.022 billion that year.
Almost £400 million has been allocated to boost the Scottish economy in 2021 (Gross Value Added).
Rift analysis shows that over the past decade, the average gross turnover per employee in the Scottish shipbuilding sector has been £180,119, while the average gross value added per employee over the past ten years has been £55,309.
Rift also forecast that if employment numbers doubled from 6,700 in 2021 to 13,400, this would push total Scottish shipbuilding industry sales to £2.414 billion, with gross value added to the Scottish economy across the sector increasing to £741 million per annum – an increase of £342 million on the annual gross value added seen in 2021.
While the difficulties of Scottish government-owned Ferguson Marine have been well documented, BAE Systems is creating hundreds of jobs as it expands its Glasgow operations, and shipbuilding has been high on the agenda in the months leading up to the general election.
“Scotland is a very proud nation and this is certainly no different when it comes to the country’s proud history in shipbuilding, as evidenced by the struggle to keep the sector alive by workers, in particular, in recent history,” said Bradley Post, managing director of Rift.
“While the industry today is still a far cry from its 20th century glory days, it has at least benefited from calmer waters in recent years, with employment figures remaining fairly steady and the sector still generating sales of £1bn a year.”