The UK economy's requirements for people with experience of working at sea 2003

This study estimates the demand for seafaring skills and experience in shore-based jobs in the UK, assesses the likely supply of ex-seafarers, and suggests how the expected shortfall might be addressed. Estimates are made also of the total employment in the maritime industry in the shore-based sectors covered by the study. Results are compared with those from a previous study carried out in 1996. For the purposes of the study, the shore-based maritime industry was defined to include those industries where there is likely to be a demand for ex-seafarers e.g. classification societies, port services, marine lawyers, marine insurance, ships agents, maritime schools etc. It does not estimate total employment in the more widely defined maritime sector adopted in other work e.g. Sea Vision. 1 An important term used in the study is ‘jobs employers would prefer to fill with ex-seafarers’. This comprises two elements: those jobs where employers would normally only consider applicants if they had professional seafaring experience (the essential category); and those jobs where the applicants would not necessarily be required to have any seafaring qualifications or experience but where employers would consider it an advantage if they had (the advantage category). Figures are given in terms of central estimates and likely ranges (based on 95 per cent confidence intervals). Alternative estimates have also had to be made to take account of the non-response to the survey by a major ex-seafarers employer, Lloyd’s Register