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Jobs supported by defence expenditure in weapons and
ammunition manufacturing rose by 51% in 2024/25.
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Overall year-on-year increase of 26,000 UK industry roles,
including nearly 4,000 direct additional jobs in the North
West, as investment reaches every corner of the country.
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Part of government's work to rebuild the
nation's homegrown munitions manufacturing capability,
boosting defence readiness and the re-industrialisation of
Britain.
Thousands more people across the UK are working in weapons and
ammunition manufacturing, with new figures showing a 51% rise in
defence-supported jobs in the sector in just 12
months.
The Ministry of Defence's employment
estimates, which cover the 2024/25 financial
year, point to jobs boosts across the
country backed by MOD expenditure, with the North
West seeing nearly 4,000 additional roles year-on-year
and the South East benefitting from more than
3,000 extra jobs over the same time period.
The figures show that UK defence
now comprises 462,000 roles across the Armed Forces,
industry, and the Civil Service. They demonstrate how
the Government is making defence an engine for growth, with
increased investment creating jobs and opportunities in
communities across the country to raise living standards and put
more money in working people's pockets.
The 2,000 additional jobs, reaching 5,900
total, related to the manufacture of weapons,
ammunition and military fighting vehicles also reflects the
government's drive to rebuild a sovereign, "always on" pipeline
of munitions supply, so that critical capabilities, such
as artillery and missiles, can be produced at greater scale
in the UK.
Building this domestic capability is central to strengthening the
UK's warfighting readiness and deterring threats while creating
skilled manufacturing jobs.
Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry MP said:
These figures show that a rising defence budget is creating more
good jobs across the UK. Defence is an engine for growth and our
investments are driving reindustrialisation. As we increase our
military readiness and capabilities we are generating good
well-paid jobs nationwide.
The rise in weapons and ammunition jobs forms part of a wider
picture of expansion in defence-related employment across the UK,
which has seen a year-on-year increase of 26,000 roles, spanning
both direct roles in manufacturing and indirect jobs in the wider
supply chain. The increase underlines defence as an engine for
growth and the move towards a resilient industrial base, proving
that investment in the UK's security is investment in the UK's
prosperity.
The news follows recent announcement of an £8.4 billion
commitment to advance the UK's next generation nuclear
submarines, in a boost for the 47,000 jobs and over 6,000
suppliers across the UK supported by the Defence Nuclear
Enterprise.
The growth in defence-supported roles is set to accelerate
further under the Defence Investment Plan, which commits £298
billion to UK defence over the next four years. The plan will
drive sustained investment in British industry, from munitions
and shipbuilding to advanced technology, ensuring the UK's
defence sector remains a cornerstone of the country's
economic renewal.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
- Better quality data has seen revisions made to the 2023/24
statistics, which previously stated 463,000 total UK
defence jobs. The updated figure for 2023/24 is 439,000 jobs, now
increasing to 462,000 in 2024/25.
- Similarly, better quality data has seen revisions to the
2023/24 statistics, which previously stated 272,000 direct and
indirect UK industry roles. The updated figure for 2023/24 is
248,000 jobs, now increasing to 274,000 in 2024/25.
