Electric Boat lays off dozens, but Rhode Island manufacturing jobs safe for now

Posted on July 24, 2011

Electric Boat announced last week it is laying off 104 workers in Connecticut, but those numbers did not include Rhode Island manufacturing jobs.

The layoffs will occur at the Groton shipyard.

A spokesperson for the company said the layoffs were because of a decline in work for carpenters, machinists and pipefitter at the shipyard.

According to Boston.com, spokesman Robert Hamilton said Tuesday that the builder of nuclear submarines for the U.S. Navy continues to hire engineers to meet increasing workloads. The company says the hiring outlook remains stable.

Electric Boat employs about 10,790 people at its Groton shipyard and a Quonset Point, R.I., manufacturing plant.

Earlier in July, EB said it would hire hundreds of new workers.

Rhode Island unemployment has stayed pretty much the same for the past few months, in related news.