Understanding the complexity of retention among seafarers: a perspective of Australian employers

Research on seafarer employment has increased over the last twodecades; with two-thirds of studies focused on the dynamics ofthe global shortage of ship officers. The 2015 Global ManpowerUpdate predicts a worldwide shortage of 147, 500 ship officers.Shipping industry employers are struggling to retain newgeneration ship officers beyond 10 years onboard their vessels.This challenge is severe in developed maritime nations such asAustralia. Understanding the complexity of the retention issues(and how they impact ship officer shortage) from the perspectiveof Australian shipping industry employers is the focus on thispaper. A semi-structured phone interview of 20 senior managersof shipping industry employers in Australia was done. The resultshighlight complex retention issues, a lack of adequate trainingand lapses in industry regulations as the reasons for the shortageof ship officers. It was also found that Australian shipping industryemployers mostly rely on high salaries, recreational facilities andgood working conditions as strategies to retain ship officers. Thepaper contributes to a reflective understanding of practical stepsAustralian shipping industry employers must take to improve shipofficer retention; and further points to the need for a moreresponsible approach to the employment of seafarer