Shipbuilding and the marine industry: rising revenues but a shortage of staff
Over the past 10 years, turnover in the sector has risen by 115.8 per cent and exports have grown by 122.9 per cent. However, 91 per cent of businesses are struggling to recruit staff
Key points
The Italian yacht and shipbuilding industry remains ‘one of the most dynamic drivers of the national manufacturing sector’ in terms of revenue and exports, with turnover expected to rise by 2026; but it now faces a bottleneck in terms of human capital: 91 per cent of companies in the sector, in fact, are struggling to recruit staff. This is highlighted by Mediobanca in the Survey of Shipbuilding and Yacht-Building Companies in Italia, compiled by the bank’s Research Department. The report shows that the sector, having more than doubled its turnover in the decade 2016–2025 (+115.8 per cent), continues to grow, despite an international landscape characterised by geopolitical tensions and volatility.
Revenue (+2.6 per cent) and exports (+3.2 per cent) are forecast to rise in 2026
Mediobanca’s research combines a structural analysis of the supply chain (comprising 3,460 active companies employing nearly 30,000 people) with an in-depth study based on a questionnaire sent to a sample of 141 manufacturing firms, each with a turnover exceeding 10 million euros, representing over 80 per cent of the total sales of the sector under review (which, of course, also includes Fincantieri). The survey highlights the sector’s capacity for growth and internationalisation, even within a complex global context: for 2026, in fact, companies forecast a 2.6 per cent increase in revenue, driven mainly by exports (+3.2 per cent), whilst the domestic market is expected to grow by 1.2 per cent.
As mentioned, therefore, the study reports that between 2016 and 2025, turnover in the nautical and shipbuilding sector grew by 115.8 per cent, outperforming the other main segments of the transport sector. This growth was seen in both foreign and domestic markets. Over the decade, exports rose by 122.9 per cent, whilst domestic sales grew by 100.5 per cent. The increase in added value was even more pronounced (+134.9 per cent), ‘confirming a growing ability to generate value, thanks to the technological and industrial content of production’.
The 141 companies monitored closed 2025 with an aggregate turnover of 14.8 billion euros, up 10.8 per cent on 2024. The report explains that the overseas component ‘continues to play a central role and accounts for around 65 per cent of total sales. Employment has also risen (+6.9 per cent), confirming the strengthening of production capacity’.
Difficulty in recruiting staff
For 2026, 52 per cent of businesses expect an increase in turnover, 19 per cent anticipate a situation of substantial stability, and 29 per cent foresee a decline in sales. Overall, as mentioned, the sector estimates a 2.6 per cent increase in revenue; yet it faces a challenge shared with other Italian companies: human capital is emerging as one of the main constraints on the sector’s competitiveness. In fact, 91 per cent of companies report difficulties in recruiting staff.
