The events of the last two years have had a substantial impact on the people working and leading in the cruise sector. With limited coverage of the wider thoughts and feelings of cruise professionals, as a business passionate about the sector, coupled with our reach of the people, Faststream Recruitment created a unique and extensive global survey.
The sector is embracing a fast-paced comeback, leaders and talent acquisition teams are now faced with new people problems. The pandemic has changed us as individuals and what we expect. Workforce engagement, recruitment, retention, reward, and benefits are back at the top of the agenda. People strategies need to be re-evaluated. Finding a balance to solve short-term problems, with the medium and long-term needs of a business, the findings of this survey provide insight into these important recruitment and employment topics and how the sector can prosper from a people point of view in the future.
The report highlights trends across employment, reward, retention, working styles, stress, employee engagement, job security and the future of the sector. All from the perspective of people working in the sector:
37% have been unemployed during the last two years
Only 38% feel very valued by their employer
61% of shoreside professionals want to work in a hybrid style
66% would not take a pay cut for a remote working role
COVID-19 and staff shortages are creating the most stress for seagoing crew
63% still find themselves concerned about their future job security
19% plan on leaving the cruise sector for good
Salary and benefits are the biggest motivators to change jobs
Work-life balance is the biggest influence on retaining people
76% rate work-life balance over salary
80% would recommend a career in the cruise sector to young people
86% believe there will be a shortage of cruise professionals in the next five years
The survey found that over 60% of all respondents believed that reward would not increase over the next two years. “If this is the reality and employers in the cruise sector are genuinely unable to increase salaries, how will they retain people and how will they attract new employees as the sector recovers and heads into a full recovery? We believe one of the key features will be a re-focus on employee benefits,” said Mark Charman, CEO & Founder of Faststream Recruitment.
81% of respondents indicated they would be looking for a new job in the next 12 months. “For any business leader, it can be quite concerning to consider having to replace so many staff over the next 12 months, on top of the additional ‘growth’ hires you might be looking to make. I believe several factors are coming into play here. From a busier market with more roles available, employees feeling unvalued, as well as some harbouring bad feelings, about the were treated in the pandemic,” said Martin Bennell, Managing Director of Faststream Recruitment – Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Americas.
40% of seagoing crew respondents returned to their previous employer after facing unemployment. “It is a staggering number. However, humans can be creatures of habit and sometimes it is simply easier to go with ‘what you know’. For whatever reason they are returning, I see this as a real benefit to the employer. Having trained employees, aligned with their values and culture, who understand the vessel and their guests are going to be a competitive advantage.” said Kelsey Purse, Director of Shipping at Faststream Recruitment.
Those are among the findings of a landmark survey by cruise recruitment specialist Faststream Recruitment, which polled more than 1,000 professionals working in the cruise sector.
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