Superyacht Report 2022
It hasn’t been business as usual in the superyacht industry. In 2020 and the first half of 2021 yachts and crew were heavily impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Many yacht itineraries were put on hold and some captains and their crew found themselves facing periods of unemployment. Some crew decided to remain at home and look for alternative employment. Those with a secure yachting job, who may have previously looked for a new opportunity, became more hesitant and were often hunkering down favouring stability during this time.
As we enter 2022, superyacht itineraries are nearly back to pre-pandemic levels and gaining huge momentum again. The industry is busy and captains are looking to attract the best crew to join their teams. However, the priorities of crew members have shifted during the pandemic, and we wanted to see how this would affect the responses to our survey this year.
Specialist superyacht recruiter Faststream Recruitment and industry-leading job board Yotspot have collaborated for the sixth consecutive year to survey superyacht crew and gain a unique insight into the views, thoughts, and feelings that these individuals have about the industry they work in.
Despite the uncertainty of the last two years, the industry has recovered well. International travel has become more frequent, and superyachts are busy and increasing hiring again. For those who can afford it, superyachts have been viewed as a safe option for a holiday destination. As the global vaccination programme has become more widespread across the globe, we want to uncover how yacht crew feel about their careers.
We asked: Should double vaccinations be mandatory for crew? Are the crew planning to change jobs? Would they still recommend a career in yachting? Do the relationships with other crew members matter? Are the crew earning more than they did last season? Is the expectation of a crew’s image unrealistic? These are just a few of the unanswered questions that are unique to the Superyacht community and ones that only the crew themselves will answer.
This report aims to uncover key insights around topics such as life onboard, career, rewards and benefits, crew health and well-being, and the perception versus the reality of a career in yachting. Given that the yachting industry is incredibly diverse, we wanted to ask a variety of pivotal questions to offer a true representation across varying superyacht crew demographics.
To discuss any of the findings of the report, please contact Mark Charman or Kelsey Purse.
For media enquiries, please contact Nic Jones.
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