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The faces that fill the shipping media are a familiar bunch. Scions of well established shipping dynasties or the men and women who have worked their way to the top of the corporate ladder. Behind these front line figures are scores of other shore-based workers who make the industry tick - the operations teams, traders, brokers, insurance managers and countless other specialists. As with so many other sectors, recruitment and attracting the next generation of talent is an issue, particularly as shipping has never been good at telling its story to a wider audience and young people have probably never heard of the careers it entails. As the boomers who entered the industry in the 1980s head towards the twilight of their careers, are they the right people to be recruiting the next generation? April saw the Maritime CEO Forum pitch its tent in Singapore and in amongst the usual market analysis was a lively panel aiming to identify tomorrow’s workforce. Acknowledging that the war for talent was increasingly fierce, the remark by one panelist that “salary and perks don’t get people out of bed these days, it is things like ESG that do” struck a chord. I am not so sure that this is the case. Altruism and personal philanthropy develop with age The training regime for some 1980s recruits joining all but the most enlightened shipping companies may well have included days made up of a little light photocopying followed by a demand to go out and buy bacon sandwiches and a packet of Marlboros. Fortunately, those days are long gone, but many new entrants to today’s employment market - not just the shipping industry - probably have to contend with the weight of student debt and heavy living costs, particularly if they find themselves in one of the major maritime centres. In those early days, pay is going to be a driving force. I recall asking a very well-established shipbroker what had made him choose the profession originally, and was told: “£200 a month more than banking.” Recent figures suggesting that a third of new recruits to the maritime industry leave within 12 months make alarming reading, but in actual fact, this is a typical ‘burn rate’ amongst many industries. I do agree that younger people coming into the shipping profession (I loathe the terms Gen Z or Gen Alpha, but perhaps that’s an age thing) have different values, but they also have fairly limited life experience, so it’s hardly surprising that soon after transferring from the ivory tower of academia that they find the hard graft of mastering a profession is perhaps not what they originally thought. The biggest surprise perhaps is that the drop-out rate is ‘only’ 30%. Perhaps the secret to retention relies, as one Singapore panelist put it, to the adoption of proper human resource management. Those with decades of experience and a successful career can undoubtedly pass on their expertise to newcomers, but they in turn need to tap into the aspirations and values that younger people have and ensure that newcomers are aware that a clear corporate philosophy on things beyond the immediate bottom line exists. Altruism and personal philanthropy develop with age and experience, although a decent salary helps. The Missions to Seafarers Adventure Race, which recently took place in Japan, was a clear example of some experienced industry hands pulling together to help make the lives of those on whom we rely - our seafarers - better, at the same time getting their younger colleagues involved. Bringing together like-minded people from across the generations for a great cause in a beautiful setting - what’s not to like?

The generation game

Aspirations and values of today’s recruits to shipping have changed. Our special correspondent asks if young and old can combine for a better future for all.

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