The Great Resignation and its Effect on the Maritime Industry
The consequences of the COVID pandemic are far reaching and has directly affected almost everyone around the Globe in one way or another. Slowly, the consequences of the pandemic are being seen in our society, especially in work environments. The quarantines, shutdowns and overall safety concerns forced the hands of businesses worldwide to make drastic changes to protect their employees and companies. Employees had to quarantine, change work habits, and some even permanently lost their jobs. It’s no surprise that after a few years of these changes, it would have people reevaluating their lives. At the start of 2022, a phenomenon has been observed in the United States and is being seen in many job industries, including the maritime industry. This occurrence is being called “The Great Resignation.”
Anthony Klotz, an associate professor of management from Texas A&M University, quoted the term. In an article where he coined and discussed the topic, he spoke on how he predicts that there will be a great resignation from many employees who no longer wish to pursue their careers. (Hetler, 2022) On March of this year, the U.S. Department of Labor’s job openings and labor turnover survey report (JOLTS) has shown that almost 4.3 million people quit their jobs at the start of the year, with job resignations up 23% compared to the levels seen in the pre-pandemic era. The year before, it is estimated that around 48 million people quit their jobs, mostly due in part by the pandemic. (Iacurci, 2022) This occurrence is being seen in most job sectors, especially in the maritime industry, which was arguably one of the hardest that was hit by the COVID pandemic.
Seafarer repatriation was a nightmare as many ships in the shipping and cruise industry were barred from entering some countries because of the strict COVID protocols being enforced by their governments. In 2020, it is estimated that around 40,000 seafarers could not return to their homes due to the pandemic. Many being forced to stay in the ships for the more than the maximum periods that they can serve under contract. As a result of this and many other situations caused by the pandemic, many seafarers are deciding to choose early retirement. The situations that have already happened on vessels directly cause by the pandemic and the ongoing fear of being tapped in another lockdown should things get bad again has not been particularly helpful for seafarers indecisive on returning to their jobs. This and forced shutdowns of some sections on board vessels have caused many job losses as well.
With the exception of Holland America and Royal Caribbean, even though they have had their issues just like everyone else during the pandemic, have not had the same difficulties as the other companies during the recuperation process. Holland America, who was looking at a strong restart to their itineraries, have decided to slow down and pace themselves. A spokesperson from Royal Caribbean also discussed that they feel they will not be needing to make any cancellations to their itineraries moving forward. Other companies, unfortunately, have had a tougher time navigating the obstacles caused by the pandemic. Carnival Cruise Line has had to close down two restaurants across all of their ships because of the complications of trying to bring back so many crew members in such a short period of time to other essential sectors. They and other cruise lines are accommodating only around half the amount of the workforce that these ships normally use to operate normally, which in turn has meant further resignations and job loss for seafarers. (Chang, 2022)
For many seafarers, there has been a growing disenchantment from their jobs due to all the negative consequences caused by COVID and the restrictions that the industry had to implement in order to adapt to the global pandemic. It is safe to say that some seafarers may be afraid to go through another pandemic situation. A new viral outbreak in the form of Monkeypox has erupted in certain sectors of the world, causing concern of yet more travel restrictions being set in the industry to avoid another pandemic. Also, the harsh working conditions caused by insufficient workers on board ships and the heavy safety restrictions on board vessels to prevent future outbreaks was too much for some to bear. Not to mention the many thousands that were trapped on board their vessel because they could not return home. Around 5% and 15% of seafarers decided that it was best to stay in their homes and wait for the pandemic to die down and some just decided to resign altogether from their jobs and not return. (Zeymarine, 2021) Regardless of the concerns that seafarers may have, the industry is slowly trying to return to normal as they do their best to overcome the obstacles set by the pandemic. Steps are being taken alongside the unions that protect seafarer rights and the world governments to try and make the necessary changes to the quality of life for seafarers on board vessels during these trying times and to prevent further seafarer resignations.
References
Chang, B. (2022, May 28). Cruise lines are canceling sailings, closing onboard restaurants, and allowing fewer guests onboard amid hiring difficulties. Retrieved from Business Insider: https://www.businessinsider.com/carnival-royal-caribbean-struggling-to-hire-crew-members-2022-5
Hetler, A. (2022, June 29). TechTarget. Retrieved from The Great Resignation: Everything you need to know: https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/feature/The-Great-Resignation-Everything-you-need-to-know
Iacurci, G. (2022, March 22). The Great Resignation continues, as 44% of workers look for a new job. Retrieved from CNBC: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/22/great-resignation-continues-as-44percent-of-workers-seek-a-new-job.html
Zeymarine. (2021, November 19). Crew Crisis After COVID 19. Retrieved from Zeymarine: https://zeymarine.com/crew-crisis-after-covid-19/