The UK’s decision to leave the EU has the potential to drive many of its maritime employees away, according to the results of a survey issued by industry recruitment group Faststream.
A survey to UK based maritime employees, issued following the Brexit results on June 24th, shows that over 39% of employees who wouldn’t previously have looked at a move away from the UK would now consider roles overseas, with a further 23% undecided.
“It’s a leave vote for the UK and a leave vote for UK maritime employees” comments Mark Charman, Faststream Group CEO.
Charman continued; “Global mobility has always been a positive aspect of working in the maritime industry. 66% of respondents to our survey would have considered a role outside the UK prior today’s Brexit results, which shows just how flexible the maritime workforce are. The uncertainty that a leave vote brings just adds fuel to the fire.”
The UK, like many other global maritime hubs, already faces a serious shortage of talent in shore-based operations. The opportunity for UK employees to secure jobs away for its shores will be possible for many, but not all.
“The shock factor created by the reality of the UK leaving the EU will create immediate uncertainty for many UK maritime employees. However, wanting to move away from the UK doesn’t mean that employees can or should. It’s a big decision, both personally and professionally, and not one to take lightly.”
Charman continued; “The subject of losing talent from one location to another is not ground-breaking. Whether it’s a downturn in a certain region, rising living costs, lack of opportunities or low pay, there will always be a host of reasons for maritime employees to consider a move away from their current location. On face value the leave vote in the UK is not unlike any of these. Time will tell.”
Faststream will be looking closely at confidence within the sector over the coming months. “We already have plans in place to record, analyse and release a monthly maritime confidence index later this year which will monitor employee confidence data within global maritime hubs. We feel that this is important, not just for the UK but to the market as a whole.”
Source: Faststream Recruitment Group
