Assessment of the competitiveness of the market of crewing services in conditions of instability

Abstract

Introduction. One of the factors determining the competitiveness of crewing companies is the effective selection of highly qualified personnel, competent seafarers. One of the directions for the development of competitiveness is the determination of ways for the effective use of human resources. Purpose. The purpose and objective of the article is to consider the competitiveness of crewing companies and assess the crewing market in conditions of instability. Method (methodology). To achieve the goals set, the following methods were used: logical generalization, analysis, comparison and synthesis of scientific abstraction, grouping.. Results. The shipping industry was one of the first to create and effectively use an open labour market. According to the level of professional training, communication skills and discipline, Ukrainian sailors occupy one of the first places in the world. Every 20th officer in the merchant fleet in the world is from Ukraine. The coronavirus pandemic has caused a crisis in the global merchant fleet. Sea shipping relies entirely on international labour. Crews have always been assembled all over the world. The sailor's passport knew no borders, but Covid closed that door. The war between Russia and Ukraine has exacerbated the situation on the labour market for sailors. Both Ukraine and Russia have historically provided a large number of sailors, both officers and ratings, to the world merchant fleet. About 40-50% of Ukrainian sailors remained unemployed due to the war. This market is highly competitive, and many companies are no longer waiting for the opening of borders for Ukrainian sailors. They replaced the crew with less skilled sailors from Asia or Africa. Conclusions. The seafarer labour market is very vulnerable to unforeseen threats like Covid and the war in Ukraine. Ukraine needs to minimize losses in the sector of training and employment of seafarers, as well as develop an action plan to preserve and ensure the development of this sector. Representatives of some crewing companies believe that efforts to expand the pool of seafarers should include the involvement of women, but this will take time, since these professions in Ukraine have traditionally been considered male. Ukraine should use every opportunity to ensure macro-financial stability. The release of sailors into the sea will significantly strengthen the country's economy.