YPI CREW: Superyacht job market is “going from strength to strength”

Leading crew recruiter YPI CREW, has shared its annual Yacht Crew Trends report, which shows that the superyacht job market is “going from strength to strength”.

The 2016 report shows that with the increases in the length of yachts and the number of yachts launched, so does the requirement for crew, with an average 50m superyacht requiring approximately 10 yacht crewmembers to run it.

According to YPI CREW's data, “Indeed, the crew recruitment trends are subtly indicative of the growth of the yachting industry”. In fact, its findings show that, since 2013 there has been a 37% total increase in yacht crew jobs.

Based on that analysis, for the second year in a row, the category of yachts over 71m in length were seen to generate more jobs than any other, with a total of 34% of crew positions offered in this segment. Jobs on 51m to 70m vessels came in second, at 32.4% of all available positions.

According to YPI CREW, “The fact that this was not the case even three years ago shows that there has been an increase of 71m+ yachts on the market, each requiring more crew than the average in previous years. This is iterated by the 5% reduction of jobs in the 31m to 50m categories. 

“Coherant with the global yacht market, it comes as no surprise that 89.6% of crew recruitment is required for jobs on motor yachts and just 9.4% on sailing yachts. 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.” 

2016 data shows that 70.8% of positions offered were on board private yachts, which, according to YPI CREW, often “justifies the advice of those recruitment agents who advise crew to target their efforts toward private vessels”. In fact, only 29.2% of available positions were offered on charter vessels, and just 4.4% of available positions were for yacht captain jobs. 

YPI CREW's data shows an increase in the number of people joining the yacht crew industry, with new candidate registrations increasing by 22% in 2016. Laurence Lewis, director of YPI CREW said, “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. 

“There are excellent jobs and candidates out there, the market in buoyant. The key is to be flexible and realistic – this goes for employers and employees alike.” 

For more information, visit YPI CREW.

Search for yacht crew agents on Yachtingpages.com, or read yacht job guides for superyacht crew.