What do we know about the labour market for seafarers?: A view from the UK

This paper considers the evidence that exists on the global demand and supply of seafarers, and their age profiles. New information on the age profiles of deck and engine officers is presented, drawn from records held by the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Detailed age profiles for certain countries are constructed and compared with that of the UK, as well as with estimates published elsewhere. Using the data derived from the MCA, it is shown that there is a significant positive correlation between the age profiles of seafarer supplying countries and their level of economic development, as measured by GDP per capita. This evidence is consistent with the view that the future supply of seafaring officers will increasingly be oriented towards countries at lower levels of development, as the existing pool of highly qualified officers from traditional maritime countries continues to diminish.