With 2016 in the books, YPI CREW recently completed its annual crew recruitment evaluation to identify trends in crew placement. “Not just a reflection of prospects for yachting employees, crew recruitment data underpins insightful market analysis of the yachting industry itself,” YPI CREW states. Its data suggests that the yachting industry is going from strength to strength.
“Indeed, crew recruitment trends are subtly indicative of the growth of the yachting industry. Since 2013, there has been a thirty-seven percent increase in yacht crew jobs,” the report states. The majority of positions were offered on private yachts (70.8 percent) with the balance on charter yachts, and, probably no surprise based on the yacht market, 89.6 percent went to motor yachts with 9.4 percent on sailing yachts. One trend the report claims remains consistent over the years is the increasing number of people who want to start a yachting career, with 2016 showing new candidate registrations up by 22 percent. “The appeal of the yachting industry is undeniable – for fittingly skilled and resilient candidates with a willingness to work hard, it offers a chance to travel the world, earn good money, make friends for life, and build a solid career,” YPI CREW states. On the other end of the experience scale, only 4.4 percent of YPI CREW jobs offered were for yacht captains.
There’s also a trend relating to the yacht size, particularly for yachts 71 meters and larger. For the second year in a row, 34 percent of available positions were in this category, possibly due to an increase in 71-plus meter yachts over the last three years. A five-percent job reduction in yachts 31 to 50 meters also could add that that statistic. “The consistent increase in the number and length of yachts means that there are more jobs for which to apply and more opportunities from which to benefit than in the past years,” says YPI CREW.
“There are excellent jobs and candidates out there, and the market is buoyant,” says Laurence Lewis, director of YPI CREW. “The key is to be flexible and realistic — this goes for employees and employers alike.”
[Photo courtesy of YPI CREW]