Recruitment of seafarers is getting harder according to a survey of crew managers conducted by Danica Crewing Specialists.
According to Danica, nearly half of those responding reported they are finding it more difficult to recruit crew of the calibre they need for their ships, while more than 70% of crew managers said their job has become more difficult within the past two years.
Danica’s survey was conducted among crew managers and other personnel involved in crewing. It was conducted as a useful comparison to the company’s annual Seafarers’ Survey which received feedback from more than 6,000 crew members.
Key findings
- Almost half (47%) of crew managers reported that within the past 12 months it has become increasingly difficult to find and recruit competent seafarers.
Salaries have increased over the past year across all ranks. Some ranks have seen an increase of 10% and even more for senior ranks. This confirms the findings in the recent Danica Seafarers’ Survey.
Crew managers report salary as the primary motivation for seafarers to change jobs which is in alignment with what seafarers reported in their survey. - More than 70% of crew managers consider their job to have become harder over the past year. It is notable that crew managers are finding their job has become more complex, even compared to the very difficult time during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Some 74% of the shipping companies who responded to our Crew Managers’ Survey said they had increased wages for senior officers over the past year, with more than 60% reporting increased wages for junior officers and senior ratings, while almost 60% had increased wages for ratings. Only 6% of respondents had not adjusted wages over 2023.
- Crew managers reported that wages for senior officers are up between 10 to 30%, with junior officer roles attracting salary increases of between 6-15%. Among ratings, salaries for senior ranks have risen 11 to 15% while for junior ratings the increases are between 6-10%.
- Pay is a key motivator to seafarers to switch employers. Just over a third of crew managers felt their seafarers were more willing to change employer. More than 80% of crew managers saw salary as the main reason for seafarers switching jobs, which is in line with the almost 80% of crew members who said the same in Danica’s 2023 Seafarer Survey.
With seafarer shortages in certain ranks beginning to impact recruitment, while at the same time salaries are rising, navigating the crewing sector can be challenging. Outsourcing your crew management to a professional company like Danica can lift the burden from your in-house staff and free them up for more strategic work.
… said Danica CEO, Henrik Jensen
In an exclusive interview to SAFETY4SEA, Henrik Jensen had pointed out that things are going to change: new fuels, digital developments, and even new technologies we don’t know about yet. At present it’s important to have a sound amount of knowledge and experience. But as the maritime world changes, and at fast pace, it will become more important to have the ability to learn new things and to be flexible and open to new ways and methods on how a vessel is operated.
