Shipwright
Snapshot
Shipwrights build and repair small type of water vessels from pleasure craft to naval vessels. They prepare preliminary sketches and create templates. They use hand and power tools to construct smaller boat themselves or supervise a team of shipbuilders. They also construct cradles and slipways for the ship’s construction, transportation, launching and slipping. Depending on the vessels, they might work with different materials such as metal, wood, fibreglass, aluminium etc.
Shipwrights are skilled craftspeople who build and repair water vessels. Your day might involve preparing detailed sketches and templates, using both hand and power tools to construct boat components, or overseeing a team of shipbuilders. You’ll also be responsible for building supporting structures like cradles and slipways, essential for a ship's construction, transportation, launching, and maintenance. The materials you work with can vary greatly, including wood, metal, fibreglass, and aluminium, depending on the vessel type.
- • Constructing and repairing hulls, decks, and other boat components.
- • Preparing detailed plans and templates for construction.
- • Using hand and power tools to shape and assemble materials.
Where this occupation is in demand
Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Figures cover Metal, machinery and related trades workers — 106 jobs including this one.
Every place assessed is in shortage.
Longest-running shortage: Belgium, 4 years.
Select a place on the map to see its figures.
About this source›
Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.
What these words mean
The four things this section reports
- Reported demand
- Whether employers report needing people in this job — a judgement published by a national or EU body, not a count.
- Where it is heading
- Which way employment in this job is expected to move over the coming years, from an official projection.
- Openings
- Roughly how many openings arise — from growth and from people leaving the job.
- Typical pay
- What people in this job typically earn where the source publishes it. Blank does not mean unpaid; it means nobody publishes it for that place.
A measure is left out when nobody publishes it for that place, rather than shown as zero.
Which way the market leans for you
- In your favour
- More openings than people looking — employers are competing for candidates.
- Balanced
- Openings and candidates are roughly matched.
- Competitive
- More people looking than openings — expect to compete.
- Mixed evidence
- Sources disagree, or the same occupation group is short in one part and oversupplied in another.
Every source resolves to one of these four, so there is a single vocabulary to learn. What differs is the evidence behind it, which is printed underneath each verdict — a measured ratio of openings to jobseekers, or an assessment published by a national body.
How this job compares with other jobs in the same country
- Strong
- Among the strongest in that country
- Good
- Stronger than most jobs in that country
- Mixed
- About typical for that country
- Weak
- Weaker than most jobs in that country
This is a rank within one country, not a score you can carry across borders — the registers behind two countries count different people, so the same number means different things in each. It is also why a job can be among the strongest in a country and still show as Competitive: it leads the field in a market that is crowded overall.
Where these come from
Every figure is published by a national statistics office, a public employment service or an EU body, and each card names its source and the period it covers. Some places are counted monthly, others assessed once or twice a year, so two places on the same map can be describing different moments — the date is always shown.
None of this predicts one person’s chances. It describes a market.
Reported demand · Typical pay · Where it is heading (United States, Ireland, Australia, Malta, United Kingdom)
| Reported demand | Typical pay | Where it is heading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Not reported | $65,700 2025-05 | 0% 2024–2034 · BLS 2024-2034 |
| Ireland | Not reported | — | +15.1% 2023–2035 · Cedefop 2026 * |
| Australia | Shortage reported Jobs and Skills Australia 2025 * | — | — |
| Malta | Shortage reported ELA/EURES 2024 * | — | — |
| United Kingdom | Not reported | £34,782 2025-provisional | — |
* Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS)
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Open Government Licence v3.0
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Future Outlook for shipwright
The outlook for shipwright reflects a balanced mix of automation exposure and durable, human-led work.
How are these scores calculated?
The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.
How could shipwright change as AI adoption grows?
This role is likely to change gradually, with AI supporting selected tasks rather than replacing the whole occupation.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
This role is likely to change gradually, with AI supporting selected tasks rather than replacing the whole occupation.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
Model-based estimate. Use it as a planning signal, not a guarantee.
Compare this to your profile
How AI may change this role
Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.
What still depends on people
- wear appropriate protective gear
- ensure vessel compliance with regulations
- apply health and safety standards
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- read standard blueprints
- read engineering drawings
- prepare pieces for joining
Tasks most exposed to automation
No single task here is highly automatable yet.
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement
Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation
Technical Details
NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.
Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.
What people in this role usually do
Supply Chain & Transportation
A typical day as a shipwright
09 09:00 · Morning ensure vessel compliance with regulations
10 10:30 · Mid-morning use caulking tools
12 12:00 · Midday adjust engineering designs
14 14:00 · Afternoon align components
15 15:30 · Late afternoon apply health and safety standards
17 17:00 · Wrap-up fasten components
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
What you need to do this work
The skills, knowledge and tools this role calls for — and the traits and rewards that come with it.
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prepare pieces for joining
Prepare metal or other material workpieces for joining processes by cleaning the workpieces, checking their measurements with the technical plan and marking on the pieces where they'll be joined.
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fasten components
Fasten components together according to blueprints and technical plans in order to create subassemblies or finished products.
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wear appropriate protective gear
Wear relevant and necessary protective gear, such as protective goggles or other eye protection, hard hats, safety gloves.
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apply health and safety standards
Adhere to standards of hygiene and safety established by respective authorities.
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read standard blueprints
Read and comprehend standard blueprints, machine, and process drawings.
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read engineering drawings
Read the technical drawings of a product made by the engineer in order to suggest improvements, make models of the product or operate it.
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adjust engineering designs
Adjust designs of products or parts of products so that they meet requirements.
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align components
Align and lay out components in order to put them together correctly according to blueprints and technical plans.
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use power tools
Operate power driven pumps. Use hand tools or power tools. Use vehicle repair tools or safety equipment.
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ensure vessel compliance with regulations
Inspect vessels, vessel components, and equipment; ensure compliance with standards and specifications.
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use caulking tools
Use caulking mallet and iron to drive oakum (hemp fibers soaked in pine tar) into the seam between planks to make boats watertight.
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liaise with engineers
Collaborate with engineers to ensure common understanding and discuss product design, development and improvement.
engineering processes
The systematic approach to the development and maintenance of engineering systems.
mechanics of vessels
The mechanical aspects and principles of vessels operations, and the technicalities and mechanical composition of boats and ships.
3D printing process
The process of reproducing 3D objects by using 3D printing technologies.
defense system
The various weapons and weapon systems used to protect citizens and to harm or shield incoming enemies and enemy weapons.
ICT software specifications
The characteristics, use and operations of various software products such as computer programmes and application software.
maintenance of printing machines
Upkeep procedures and technical working of machines that produce printed graphical material.
physical parts of the vessel
The different physical components of the vessel and their maintenance and care effort.
printing materials
The materials, such as paper, film, metal foils, and glass, on which texts or designs can be transferred by applying ink through direct pressure or with intermediate rollers.
printing on large scale machines
Methods, processes, and restrictions related to printing on machines that produce large quantities and sizes of graphic print materials.
- design drawings
- engineering principles
- mechanics
Path to become a shipwright
What it typically takes to qualify: education level, where it is a regulated profession, and where to study.
Upper secondary education
2,233 programmes in 30 countries teach the core skills of this job. Plus 524 short courses that build single skills.
A few examples, taught in the language of this page:
TAO, Turun Ammattiopistosäätiö · Finland
Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering
NHTI-Concord's Community College · the United States
Bachelor of Engineering in Robotics and Automated Systems
South East Technological University · Ireland
These are 6 of 2,757.
Sources
- 1. Source: Opintopolku.fi (Finnish National Agency for Education)
- 2. Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (collegescorecard.ed.gov), CC BY. Data as at 10/06/2026. Adapted by NexPath.
- 3. Source: Study in Korea, National Institute for International Education (NIIED) (studyinkorea.go.kr).
- 4. Source: Europass Qualification Dataset Register (European Commission)
- 5. Source: South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), All Qualifications and Unit Standards (allqs.saqa.org.za).
- 6. Contains information from MySkillsFuture Course Run accessed on 2026-09-28 from data.gov.sg which is made available under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0 (https://data.gov.sg/open-data-licence)
Growth Pathways & Similar Roles
Explore typical career progression paths, adjacent skills, and similar roles to plan your next transition.
Where does shipwright fit?
Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
For organisations
The data on this page, working for your students, clients and staff.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of training or experience is needed to become a shipwright?
Are shipwrights typically employed or self-employed?
What are the working conditions like for a shipwright?
Is there a shortage of Shipwright in Europe?
How much does Shipwright pay in the United States?
Sources: ESCO O*NET ELA/EURES Cedefop BLS Data updated October 3, 2026 About our data