TAKING ACTION TO REDUCE CANADA’S MARINE LABOUR SHORTAGE

BY LEO RYAN

43% OF THE MARINE WORKFORCE WILL BE RETIRING OVER THE NEXT DECADE.

Reflecting a worldwide seafarer shortage trend that has accelerated, crew scheduling has become a challenging juggling act for many operators in Canada’s marine shipping industry. The magnitude of the problem was underscored by the latest Transport Canada survey, which estimated that 43% of the marine workforce will be retiring over the next decade, including 52% of engineering officers and 47% of deck officers. All told, there will be a need to hire roughly 19,000 new workers – representing nearly 70% of the current workforce. Things also remain difficult in filling shoreside positions throughout Canada. And all this is happening in times of global upheaval in key economic sectors that are undergoing massive structural change. To meet this situation head on, special actions are being taken on a variety of fronts, with an dedicated organization founded by the Chamber of Marine Commerce (CMC) and three government departments in 2019 unifying industry efforts to build a diverse, inclusive, and future ready workforce for the Canadian marine industry.

The Canadian Marine Careers Foundation

The Canadian Marine Careers Foundation (CMCF) is headed by Executive Director Julia Fields. The chief focal point: bilingual Imagine Marine career awareness activities and educational outreach projects.

“The Canadian Marine Careers Foundation has made tremendous progress over the last five months on its new strategic plan, which was launched in January,” reports Fields. “First of all, we have nearly doubled the number of members, sponsors and partners we are working with to 40 organizations across Canada, including federal government departments, labour, education and training, vessel operators, ports and terminals, marine services and suppliers, associations and youth organizations.”

The CMCF top executive adds: “We have expanded our content, our ad campaigns, and projects to be aimed at young Canadians and second career seekers in Atlantic Canada, Ontario, Quebec and the West Coast. We’ve launched a national Jobs Board for the marine sector and we’ve partnered with the Royal Canadian Navy and other government departments to develop a series of exciting career events in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region this coming autumn – more details to come closer to the time!”

The CMCF has a compelling offer to make to young people deciding on a career – at present, entry-level seafarers such as deckhands can immediately count on earning $60,000 a year, and captains and senior officers can draw salaries in the six-digits. The key is building awareness.

Educational Outreach

To that end, the CMCF recently completed a first-of-its-kind educational marine content package, sponsored by the CMC. This comprehensive set of resource materials included interactive and visually appealing brochures, a poster, a digital quiz, a video, and a digital infographic designed to ignite curiosity about choosing marine based on various career motivators and the different paths available, including directto-job, university/college, and trades. “This package,” explains Fields, “will be sent to our members to use as well as promoted by the CMCF at events and through outreach to employmentfocused organizations and schools in our Canada-wide database. Our team has also been building relationships with the YMCA, school boards and provincial career counsellor and principal associations to create opportunities for ship and shore tours, informationsharing and presentations.”

CMCF is also partnering with organizations that already have builtin networks of thousands of students, educators and parents across Canada. For example, the CMCF is working with CMC, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, Canada Steamship Lines and Ocean School (a learning platform hosted by the National Film Board and Dalhousie University) on a project that uses powerful storytelling to advance environmental awareness and Great Lakes-St. Lawrence shipping literacy for Grades 5 through 12.

“The project explains the technology and engineering behind the Seaway locks system and the role the Great LakesSeaway system plays in our everyday lives,” shares Fields. “The package, including a virtual reality/360o tour of a CSL vessel at work and interviews with crew members and a naval architect, will be available this autumn and will provide an unparalleled opportunity for students to experience the realities of life on the water.”

In partnership with Canadian Geographic and seven sponsoring organizations, the foundation plans to launch its first Marine Month in Canada in October for grades 5-8. This celebration of all things marine in Canada — from ports, cargo ships, tugs, ferries and pilots to shipyards and government agencies — is to open students’ minds to the importance of the marine sector, and encourage participants to see themselves as valuable contributors to the marine story. Students will have the opportunity to interact with marine professionals across Canada, learn about cutting-edge technologies, and gain insight into the numerous careers available.

Fields indicates that her conversations with stakeholders have shown that the same challenges exist nationwide: labour shortages, an older workforce heading for retirement, a lack of awareness of marine careers, barriers to training and funding, and the need for more tools and strategies to improve diversity, equity and inclusion. “Working together through the foundation maximizes our resources, eliminates duplication and amplifies our reach, message and programming.”

A Potential Secondcareer Option

Should marine be promoted exclusively as a first career choice? Here Fields suggests “there are many opportunities to engage with second career seekers who have lost their jobs during the pandemic or are in industries that may be downsizing due to cyclical, technological or structural transformations. For example, a restaurant chef that has lost his or her job coming to work as a Chief Cook on a Coast Guard vessel.” Moreover, continues Fields, the marine sector has a big range of positions on ship and on shore – where skills can be transferable and where job-seekers could take on-the-job training or short courses to switch careers.

Drawing lessons from a recent CMCF national youth survey, Fields says : The biggest takeaway is that 40% of young Canadians have “never heard of a marine career.” And those who had, could only name a few types of jobs. “The good news is that many of the things they are looking for in a career — great pay, advancement, fulfilling work – we have in spades. The Canadian marine sector has a lot to be proud of in terms of environmental stewardship, advanced technology, community engagement – we just need to get out there and tell our story.”

Government Collaboration Helps Meet Immediate Needs

Complementing the diverse work of the CMCF, the Government of Canada has taken action in response to CMC advocacy to provide some immediate help with attracting talent from the world stage. Just recently, Transport Canada expanded its bilateral agreements to allow certified seafarers from more countries to work onboard Canadian vessels. Georgia, the Philippines and the United Kingdom have joined Australia, France, Norway and Ukraine as participants in Canada’s Reciprocal Arrangement Program. In addition, Transport Canada has made it easier for Royal Canadian Navy veterans to pursue a career in the merchant marine. But there are still gaps aplenty and Canadian ship operators have, in some cases, been calling mariners out of retirement as a short-term measure. As well, in May of 2023, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship announced the launch of category-based selection for Canada’s economic immigration management system, “Express Entry.” Categorybased selection will allow Canada to issue invitations to apply to prospective permanent residents with specific skills, training or language ability, including marine careers.

Insights From Shipping Line Executives

Commenting on today’s labour experiences by shipping lines, Hannah Bowlby, Manager of corporate communications at Algoma Central Corporation, states: “There continues to be a shortage of qualified marine workers in Canada, but the arrival of Ukrainian seafarers has given us an opportunity to bring certified, highly skilled, and experienced seafarers into the Algoma team. Since Transport Canada made the pivotal decision to recognize the competency of Ukrainian seafarers training and certifications, and most recently seafarers from the Philippines, we have since offered employment to 15 Ukrainians.”

Bowlby acknowledged that, like other carriers, recruiting and retaining captains who have local knowledge and hold pilotage certification within the Great Lakes and Laurentian pilotage areas has been proving “the most difficult.” Otherwise, Algoma is “working diligently in recruiting the next generation of seafarers. We are promoting the industry to create awareness surrounding the opportunities available at Algoma, providing training reimbursement and programs to encourage and foster career growth, and advocating for assistance from all levels of government to invest in marine training institutions and provide incentives to marine students.”

Stéphanie Aubourg, Chief Human Resources Officer at CSL and Chair of the CMCF, concurs. “We need to generate curiosity about the maritime industry to expand our reach and engage the public. Both the private and public sectors within the industry must make significant investments in the Imagine Marine program. We need to help parents and young adults understand that pursuing a career in the maritime industry is not “within reach”, it also offers excellent working conditions, including competitive salaries, attractive benefits, and flexible schedules.”

She agrees that one of most pressing issues pertains to the limited pool of captains and chief officers with Great Lakes Port Authority Certification or relevant experience in the Great Lakes region. The availability of skilled individuals in this specific area is extremely limited. Unfortunately, tapping into the international workforce is hindered due to the lack of local experience required to operate in the lakes.

Aubourg emphasizes the crucial role of Immigration Canada in addressing the shortage of seafarers. “There should be an direct entry Visa for foreign seafarers. This measure would simplify the immigration process for foreign seafarers, enabling their swift entry into the country to help alleviate the labour shortage. Governments can further expedite immigration procedures by recognizing the value of foreign talent and the vital contribution they can make to the marine industry. By doing so, they can tap into a global pool of seafarers who are willing and capable of contributing their skills and expertise.”

For his part, Colin MacNeil, Coordinator of Marine Strategy at Georgian College, raises a related issue affecting international students. “International students can come in, can complete our program, but at the end there is no licence until they become a permanent resident – and that process can take several years. It would help if Transport Canada and Immigration Canada were to work together to allow Canadian-trained international students to obtain the Canadian certificate of competency upon graduation from a Canadian school.”

“Important work has taken place to ensure the future human resource needs of our industry will be met, and the CMC, CMCF, and other partners will continue to advocate and undertake ambitious initiatives to keep marine shipping ahead of the curve with respect to sourcing talent,” noted Bruce Burrows, President and CEO of the Chamber of Marine Commerce. “Given the attractive careers we offer, the green and innovative mindset of our forward-thinking industry, and the overall importance of marine shipping to economic success, I am confident our members will be ideally positioned for success in a world that is hungry for talent.” n

How Cmcf Views Emerging Ontario Marine Strategy

The Canadian Marine Careers Foundation sees the Ontario Marine Strategy currently under development by the provincial government as an opportunity to:

• Support the Canadian Marine Careers Foundation to increase awareness of marine career opportunities, expand educational outreach and improve labour market data for the marine sector.

• Invest in Ontario-based training institutions to upgrade equipment and modernize program delivery.

• Ensure Ontario’s employment and skills development programs address the needs of marine industry stakeholders.

• Support workforce diversity initiatives to attract and retain workforce candidates from underrepresented groups.