The Maritime Workforce Forecast

Executive Summary

Maritime has always been a people business. Ships, systems and capital matter, but people decide whether a business wins or loses. The future of maritime will be written by its people.

In the lead-up to and through 2026, three forces are reshaping the maritime workforce:

• Persistent skills shortages and high mobility

• Rising expectations around culture, reward, flexibility, development and well-being

• The rapid normalisation of AI and automation, which promise efficiency gains, yet raise questions about skills, careers and future leadership

Across our research, the signal is consistent. Leaders highlight culture, developing internal talent, reward, retention and succession as their top people priorities.

At the same time, 64% of Naval Architects, 71% of ship operators and 80% of superintendents say they plan to look for a new job. At the senior level, 67% of executives prioritise developing internal talent and 46% focus on retention, while only 31% feel very confident they can attract the talent they need.

Many are experimenting with new models of work, new locations and new technologies. Few feel they have all the answers.

The 2026 Maritime Workforce: five things we expect to see

• More candidates choosing roles for the skills that will keep them valuable alongside AI, not just for today’s job title.

• Skills-based, AI-aware hiring becoming standard, with growing emphasis on decarbonisation, ESG and alternative fuels, especially in mid-level and leadership roles.

• Global, blended teams (including EOR models) becoming the norm for many shore-based functions.

• Pay fairness and transparency regularly discussed at the board and senior leadership level.

• AI embedded into everyday workflows, with growing pressure to protect early-career development and avoid a ‘hollow middle’ in the workforce.

This report sets out a practical workforce forecast for 2026, organised around five core areas: attracting the skills and potential you need; hiring in a way that builds capability as well as filling vacancies; managing a global, blended workforce; rewarding people fairly and strategically; and retaining and developing your future leaders in an AI-rich environment.

Threaded through these is a central idea: maritime employers will succeed in 2026 by building a human-plus workforce. That means using AI to amplify human judgement, and redesigning work so early-career professionals still gain the real-world experience and responsibility they need to grow into tomorrow’s managers.

The report closes with a leadership checklist you can use at the board or HR leadership level to assess your current position and set priorities.

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