Recruitment Firm Sees 'Candidate's Market' for Maritime Jobs

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Friday August 27, 2021

Market optimism from the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis is leaving candidates seeking maritime jobs in a much stronger position.

Salaries are starting to pick up as a result, recruitment firm Spinnaker said in a post on its website this week.

"We're being asked by our maritime clients for advice on the fact it's a candidate's market right now," the company said.

"When the pandemic hit, it was a different story.

"People were being laid off, and companies weren't hiring.

The market was employer-led, and high numbers of candidates were applying for a small number of jobs.

"This continued for many months of this unsettled time, but as many countries progress with vaccination programmes and the easing of COVID restrictions, market sentiment is more optimistic and people are hiring again."

The job market is particularly strong for roles in shipping operations, the company said, with many operators and charterers seeking candidates for these positions.

Earlier this year recruitment firms told Ship & Bunker that the job market for experienced bunker traders was remaining surprisingly buoyant despite the then-weak growth rate in the global economy.