ISWAN highlights that the maritime sector must be willing to invest more in seafarers’ working conditions and wellbeing in order to make the sector sustainable in the long term. In that regard, the organization has recently revealed an action plan suggesting effective solutions to the maritime recruitment and retention crisis.
ISWAN asserts that the sector now has a genuine chance to revamp its offerings for both current and future crew members. This involves determining the necessary steps for modern, technologically advanced seafaring to regain the vocational allure it once had for previous generations.
The 3 pillars of the action plan
- Fair Work – industry needs to bridge the gap between current working conditions and seafarers’ aspirations
- Inclusive Culture – industry needs to go further than minimum regulatory standards
- Changing technologies , Impact on wellbeing – industry needs to reinvent seafaring and restore its attractiveness in the digital age
8 Key considerations to tackle recruitment challenges
#1 Investing in seafarers is a commercial as well as ethical imperative
#2 Terms and conditions matter
#3 Seafarers are not commodities
#4 The sector must listen more to seafarers
#5 It’s important not to generalise
#6 Work and life at sea is unique and there is still much to love about the profession
#7 The maritime sector must be ready to compete for skills and human resources
#8 The sector must rethink how it attracts seafarers
First and foremost, action is needed to make maritime careers genuinely safe, sustainable and inclusive
…ISWAN
