MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is adding 405 civilian jobs this year, more than tripling the number of expected hires, the New Hampshire Union-Leader reports.
Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe says the U.S. Navy originally planned to hire 125 new shipyard workers this year at the Kittery, Maine, shipyard.
In January, Maine and New Hampshire’s congressional delegations urged the Navy to increase the shipyard’s workforce. They cited a recent report by the Rand Corp., which found the shipyard has the highest overtime rates of all public shipyards, signaling a work shortage. The report said it is more cost-effective and productive to increase employees rather than use overtime, hire temporary workers or borrow workers from other shipyards.
Snowe said there’s been a wave of retirements and other challenges that she believes the Navy must address “by increasing the ranks of the shipyard team.”
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