UK defence sector sees significant job growth in manufacturing and nuclear industries

The United Kingdom is seeing significant growth in its defence sector, with weapons and ammunition manufacturing jobs rising by 51% in the 2024/25 period. This is part of a broader increase of 26,000 defence-supported roles across the country, bringing the total number of roles in the Armed Forces, industry, and Civil Service to 462,000.

Regional growth is notable, with the North West gaining nearly 4,000 additional roles and the South East seeing more than 3,000 extra jobs. The expansion aims to rebuild domestic munitions manufacturing capabilities for critical items like artillery and missiles.

Simultaneously, demand for the Defence Nuclear Enterprise workforce is projected to reach approximately 65,000 by 2030, up from an estimated 47,600 currently. This growth is driven by major investments in submarine programmes, such as Dreadnought and SSN-AUKUS, as well as a £15 billion investment in the sovereign nuclear warhead programme. To meet this demand, the government and industrial partners plan to double apprentice and graduate intakes, targeting 22,000 apprenticeships and 9,000 graduate positions over the next decade.