Maritime Employment Report from Faststream

Last month Faststream released a report regarding perceptions of maritime professionals around various position in the maritime industry as well as beliefs on salaries and career development. The report was developed by approximately 2000 responses, including 612 serving mariners.

Some of the key findings of the report include the following:

1. Whilst 69% of all the respondents would follow the same profession again if given a second chance, only half of deck officers would
2. 92% of shoreside workers think it’s at least quite important to have ex-seafarers in the office, whilst 35% say it’s vital
3. Engineering officers think that it is much easier to get a job ashore than deck officers do
4. The least attractive shoreside professions to seafarers are in the law, shipbroking and insurance areas
5. 37% of maritime professionals think that SE Asia offers the best career opportunities over the next 10 years

Whilst 85% of all seafarers will remain at sea for the majority of their working lives and never make the transition from sea to shore, the survey shows that seafarers are far more attracted by the professions to which they have had some contact in their day to day work.

Over half of seafarers, whether western or Asian, think that it’s difficult or very difficult to get a job ashore. To a certain extent, this can be correct. Not every seafarer is cut out for the challenges of a job ashore. For some, the transition to shore life with the stresses and strains of commuting, taxation, office politics, family life and less obvious hierarchal structures can make life at sea too good to leave behind. But those who are perhaps less set in their ways, are able to explain complicated technical issues to a non-technical audience or are able to adapt to a completely new way of working, can find that their skills are very much in demand.

The 1,436 office based maritime professionals who answered our survey agreed that ex-seafarers generally make good workers, with only 5% saying that they struggle to adapt. However, one third did note that ex-seafarers do need a good deal of initial support in the office.

Finally according to the report  there is a mixed opinion by shore-based employees regarding salaries within the maritime industry. There was very little difference between the perception of technical and commercial roles.

This report is the first in a series of documents that we will produce throughout 2013 to discover the real perceptions and realities of employment within the global maritime sector.

Source: Faststream Recruitment