> Labor is much more expensive in the US than elsewhere. That is the overwhelming burden in every industry

This is true. But it’s not the root cause for our shipbuilding problems. Our dockworkers and shipbuilders are uniquely inefficient.

Maybe our dockworkers and shipbuilders are dragging to extend contracts that they only got due to protectionist laws to begin with. If they had more work to do and more experience, they might become more efficient.

I’m not sure labor costs could explain the difference the supposedly 5x difference in cost between Finland and the US. Labor is only a fraction of the overall cost and the difference is not that huge (e.g. average wage is $63k vs $50k).

It’s more likely that US workers (in this sector) expect to get paid $100k to produce $20k of value (relative to other countries)

Of course I'm not talking about averages. Average fast food workers make as much as engineers in some other countries. I'm not sure wages at the low-skill end are much lower in Europe, but certainly engineers seem to be paid less there. I assume that is similar across skilled professions. Comparing the US to Asia, yes the wage differences are across the board.