Western Cape Aerospace Employment Jumps from 32 jobs to 252 jobs since 2015
Emerging high-technology manufacturing industries are driving structural growth across the Western Cape’s industrial sector, led by a sharp expansion in aerospace manufacturing over the past decade, according to the Western Cape Manufacturing Sector Intelligence Report 2026 released by the Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT).
Formal employment in the Western Cape aerospace sub-sector expanded from 32 jobs in 2015 to 252 jobs in 2025. This represents a net increase of 220 formal jobs, or a 687.5% growth rate—the highest long-term employment growth recorded among all provincial manufacturing sub-sectors assessed. Concentrated primarily along the Somerset West–Stellenbosch industrial corridor, the regional aerospace base has significantly expanded its global footprint, with the Western Cape generating 94% of South Africa’s spacecraft and launch-vehicle exports in 2024.
Beyond aerospace, higher-value and export-oriented manufacturing sub-sectors continued to demonstrate positive performance and employment resilience:
Metals and Engineering: Recorded the strongest overall economic contribution, generating R21.7 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2025. Gross fixed capital formation in the sub-sector reached R19.7 billion, up 20.7% from 2015 levels, while formal employment expanded to 11 900 jobs in 2025.
Boatbuilding: Maintained the largest trade surplus among assessed sub-sectors, generating R4.2 billion in exports against R1.1 billion in imports in 2025, yielding a net positive trade balance of R3.1 billion. Employment in pleasure and sporting boat construction grew from approximately 1 300 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs in 2014 to nearly 3 850 FTE jobs in 2025.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices: Experienced a headcount recovery in 2025 to 3 130 formal jobs, up from 2 555 in 2024, driven by a rebound in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Conversely, traditional labour-intensive manufacturing industries continued to face long-term contraction under severe pressure from low-cost imports and rising input costs:
Clothing and Textiles: Formal employment fell to 16 400 jobs in 2025, down from 17 700 in 2024, continuing a decade-long structural decline driven by wearing apparel losses.
Furniture Manufacturing: Formal employment contracted to 4 700 jobs in 2025 (down from a peak of over 6 000 jobs in 2017), with gross fixed capital formation falling 20.2% between 2015 and 2025.
Across all six sub-sectors, manufacturers identified technical engineering and artisan skills shortages, port congestion at the Port of Cape Town, logistics inefficiencies, and rising operating costs as the primary operational barriers to industrial competitiveness.
To find out more about the sector report, or to find reports on other sectors, visit Source Link: Western Cape Government Department of Economic Development and Tourism Portal: [https://www.westerncape.gov.za/edat](https://www.westerncape.gov.za/edat)