Results of a survey carried out by the Diversity Study Group (DSG), featuring responses from more than 2,500 people spanning 99 nationalities, show the changing demographics of the shipping workforce ashore.
The DSG’s annual review of shore-based staff shows the overall gender split was 52.2% male and 45% female. This is a clear move towards parity from last year when the split was 56.8% male and 41.8% female. Furthermore, female representation in the lowest four of six levels of seniority has now passed the 30% mark, and this year’s results show an improved gender balance in six of seven categories of job function.
However, female representation remains poor at the leadership level and the proportion of women in technical roles has actually declined.
“Whilst it is encouraging to see a higher proportion of female team leaders and senior managers, the glass ceiling still exists for now,” a DSG release stated.
The results also show shipping is getting a little more ethnically diverse. The proportion of leadership roles held by people who are white is falling, from 69.5% to 61%, alongside an increase in people identifying as Asian in C-suite or head of department roles from 25% to 31.7%. The results also show an increase in Middle Eastern, Hispanic and other ethnicities in top roles, albeit in small numbers. In mid-level roles, ethnicities other than white or Asian climbed from 7.7% to 13.2%.
54% of respondents said that their employer could do more to achieve a diverse and inclusive workplace.
Heidi Heseltine, founder of the DSG, said: “The results seem to show growing impatience for meaningful action from employees, who want to see DEI policies and programmes properly resourced and enforced. This is where leaders need to strike the right balance between listening to people, thinking about what works for their organisation, then committing to delivery.”
