In 2015, employment within the maritime transportation industry was extremely healthy from this recruiter’s perspective, and it remained so for a good part of 2016. The Hanjin bankruptcy and announcement of the merging of the Japanese carriers’ container business had a considerable impact on both hiring and candidate confidence in the final quarter of 2016. It remains to be seen, but we are hopeful that other sectors will benefit by the availability of experienced professionals in 2017.
Layoffs have resulted in a modest portion of ocean carrier personnel being acquired by other lines, so concern is that with fewer companies to choose from, candidates will need to seriously consider other sectors of transportation, or be required to relocate so they may re-employ in positions at the appropriate level. Unlike 2015 and the first part of 2016, it’s now an employer’s market.
Fortunately, the news isn’t all bad as some ocean carriers are still hiring. They are offering competitive salaries and are willing to work assertively to attract the right talent. The catch here is candidate confidence mentioned earlier and concern about the health and viability of the individual carriers and the impact of pending alliances.
I believe the talent beneficiaries of the shrinking ocean carrier sector will be the 3PLs, NVOs, and forwarders, and the question will be whether skills are perceived as transferrable and if adaptability to a different sector is a concern for employers. Candidates should be plentiful; hopefully, opportunities will arise.
The port sector around the US has plenty of vacancies, but jobs seem to remain unfilled for unusually long periods. Ports also appear to be getting leaner by eliminating some “remote” personnel and by backfilling only the most critical positions. Many retirements at the executive level have and will continue to create good opportunities for promotion from within and/or hiring externally.
The job market news is mixed, but we remain optimistic that the industry will normalize and talented professionals will continue to be in high demand.