The Labour Market of Chinese Cruise Seafarers: Demand, Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

The rapid development of the Chinese cruise market has brought with it an urgent increase in demand for Chinese cruise seafarers. This brings great opportunities and challenges to the Chinese seafarer labour market. This research aims to contribute to this relatively understudied area by calculating the demand for Chinese cruise seafarer, and understanding the Chinese seafarers' labour market from the aspects of training, recruitment and their work experience on ships. In order to achieve this objective, a demand model is constructed through the idea of market-driven, in-depth interviews using a detailed questionnaire. The study estimates that the total demand for Chinese cruise seafarers in 2020 will be 29,200 and 100,000 in 2030. This reveals a predicted gap between demand and supply of 19,200 in 2020. The current source of seafarers is mainly from domestic shipping companies, hotels and related institutions. Their entry age is relatively young, current job profiles are mostly those in the capacity of assistants and the average wage is $1217. Thus, there is a lot of room for improvement with their increasing experience. The study has found that most seafarers on board are satisfied with the work on cruise ships and are more concerned about their career development rather than salary. English communication skills and practical skills are two important aspects of crew training. China's cruise ship labour market thus represents both, a high aggregate demand as well as the lack of high-end experienced talent. Labour market policies and systems in China remain to be improved.