Originally posted from author Becky Gillette of the MS Business Journal. For the full article, visit djjournal.com. 

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, the largest manufacturing employer in Mississippi, currently has more than 11,300 people on staff, including union-represented craftsmen and women, engineers, planners, supply chain specialists, business management and program management professionals.

The company’s weekly payroll of $14 million has a tremendous economic benefit to the region.

HII announced July 6 that the Ingalls Shipbuilding division plans to hire more than 2,000 full-time shipbuilders as part of its future workforce plans.

“The new shipbuilders will join a skilled workforce that delivers critical capabilities to HII’s national security customers, including amphibious warships, destroyers, and national security cutters,” the company said in a press release. “Ingalls Shipbuilding is located on an 800-acre facility, having recently completed a state-of-the-art upgrade that includes covered workspaces to keep shipbuilders dry and cool.”