عوامل تعیین کننده رضایت شغلی و عملکرد دریانوردان Determinants of job satisfaction and performance of seafarers

1. Introduction The shortage of skilled seafarers, in particular officers and engineers, has been a growing concern for the shipping industry (McLaughlin, 2015). With more than 90% of world trade volumes transported by sea (International Chamber of Shipping, 2015), this problem is a global challenge to overcome. According to the scenario estimates by Baltic International Maritime Council and International Shipping Federation (2015), a global shortfall of approximately 92,000 seafaring officers is expected by the year of 2020. This alarming finding has initiated a series of international campaigns such as ‘Go to Sea’ and ‘Day of the Seafarer’ which encourage governments to promote seafaring and address issues related to the work and living conditions on-board ships (International Maritime Organization, 2008, 2017). In line with these campaigns, the recent literature has proposed strategies for firms to attract seafarers. For instance, Thai et al. (2013) proposed several branding strategies to position a shipping firm as the employer of choice in the seafaring market. Some of the proposed strategies include improving the image of the shipping industry, and the use of attractive rewards in the form of high salaries and more employment benefits. In addition to attracting seafarers, Fei and Lu (2015) argued that it is more important for shipping firms to retain their in-service seafarers. It was estimated that the annual turnover rate is between 25% and 35% in some shipping sectors such as cruise shipping (Bhattacharya, 2015). In general, attrition of seafarers is high, by virtue of reasons such as boredom at sea, single-task work environment, emotional and work-related stresses, and lack of family time (Singh, 2017; Thai and Latta, 2010). This is exacerbated by changes in the socioeconomic landscape where the younger generation favours shore-based jobs due to greater freedom and increasingly comparable salaries (Kantharia, 2017; Sulpice, 2011). According to a survey conducted by Ruggunan and Kanengoni (2017), approximately 55% of junior cadets do not intend to pursue a career at sea for more than 10 years, which further emphasises the importance of retaining in-service seafarers. From the shipping firms’ perspective, the ability to retain seafarers offers numerous organisational benefits. First, due to the shortage and rarity of qualified seafarers in the market, retaining seafarers can contribute to the competitive advantage of shipping firms. By possessing a competent and motivated pool of seafarers, the cost advantage of a shipping firm can be strengthened from improved productivity, and reduced absenteeism and attrition (Nguyen et al., 2014). Next, the ability to retain seafarers shall also render the accumulation of valuable knowledge and experience within the organisation. This valuable knowledge pool which is acquired through learning can be subsequently transferred to new seafarers and to the management of shipping activities ashore.