Thank you for your request
We are pleased to share the Naval Architecture Employment Report 2025 with you.
Executive Summary
The Naval Architecture Employment Report 2025 reveals a sector experiencing both opportunity and tension. Demand for skilled Naval Architects remains high, but the challenge to retain them is intensifying.
Job-seeking intentions continue to rise, especially among early-career professionals, with 64% planning a move in 2025. However, only 20% of those who said they’d switch jobs in 2024 did, highlighting a gap between sentiment and action.
Retention appears strongest among experienced professionals, suggesting that tenure correlates with stability. However, the junior end of the market is becoming increasingly restless, often citing a lack of challenge, growth, or support as reasons to leave.
Compensation remains a key driver of mobility. Those who change jobs typically receive significantly higher pay rises than those who stay, reinforcing the perception that internal loyalty is less financially rewarding.
Still, the survey found that meaningful work and alignment with values are just as crucial. Naval Architects are staying in roles that challenge and engage them.
Hybrid working has overtaken full-time office work as the most common and preferred working model. The appetite for flexibility is strong, with many candidates prioritising flexible hours and remote work over other benefits. This growing trend directly impacts job-seeking behaviour: nearly half would turn down a job that didn’t offer flexible hours.
Transparency around salaries and benefits is now expected by job seekers, with 98% wanting this information clearly stated in job advertisements. Meanwhile, 77% of Naval Architects say work-life balance is more important to them than salary, signalling a profound shift in professional priorities.
Overall, Naval Architects want more than just competitive pay. They want flexibility, purpose, professional growth, and to feel truly invested in by their employers. Organisations that respond to these expectations will be best positioned to attract and retain top talent in 2025 and beyond.
Contact the authors
For a detailed discussion of the report's findings, please contact the authors directly:
Mark Charman, CEO & Founder
Kelsey Purse, Director - EMEA & Americas
Media Enquiries
For media enquiries and interviews, please contact the Faststream Marketing Team.
Latest Insights
View All Insights
The Role of Purpose in Maritime Careers: How to Stand Out as an Employer
In today’s world of work, job seekers are no longer just looking for a competitive salary, a decent benefits package, or the next rung on the career ladder. They are looking for purpose. The mariti...
Why Targeting the Right People Matters More Than Reaching the Most People In Maritime Recruitment
Many businesses fall into the trap of thinking that the more people they reach, the better their maritime recruitment results will be. It is a natural assumption, after all, wider exposure should m...
How the ‘Everything Now’ Era is Reshaping Maritime Recruitment
We live in an era of instant gratification, where technology has conditioned us to expect immediate results, from same-day deliveries to on-demand streaming. This shift in expectations isn’t just a...
Singapore Maritime Recruitment Market Update – Spring 2025
Singapore Maritime Week, back in March, not only celebrated the sector’s ongoing innovation and resilience but also underscored some of the persistent and emerging challenges faced by maritime empl...
How HR Leaders in Maritime Can Improve Slow Internal Decision-Making
Slow decision-making is a hidden obstacle that many maritime businesses struggle with particularly when it comes to hiring, workforce planning, and operational decisions. Whether it’s a lengthy app...
How Leaders Can Help Employees Build More Discipline in the Workplace
Great leaders shape behaviours. One of the most valuable traits a leader can instil in their team is discipline. While talent and motivation play a role in success, consistency, focus, and structur...
How to Measure Internal Hiring Success in Maritime
Hiring in the maritime industry is about securing the right talent to ensure safe, efficient, and compliant operations. Whether hiring for ship management, crewing, technical, or shore-based roles,...
Expanding Globally? How Maritime Leaders Can Stay Compliant
For maritime leaders, international expansion offers exciting growth opportunities but it also comes with workforce complexities. Hiring across multiple jurisdictions means navigating a web of visa...
Why Discipline, Not Motivation, Drives Career Growth
Success in any career is not just about talent, ambition, or luck. It is about discipline. In the maritime and shipping sectors, the professionals who achieve long-term career growth are those who ...
Just released: Global Ship Operators Employment Report 2025
We are pleased to launch the Global Ship Operators Employment Report 2025, our most comprehensive look yet into the real thoughts, motivations, and concerns of ship operators worldwide. With insigh...
Scaling Your Maritime Workforce with RPO: A Flexible Approach to Hiring
The maritime industry is constantly evolving, market fluctuations, regulatory changes, and shifting project demands mean that companies must remain agile. Yet, when it comes to hiring, many maritim...
The Future of Maritime Work: Permanent versus Contract Recruitment
The maritime industry is evolving, and so is its workforce. Traditional permanent roles have long been the backbone of maritime businesses, but in recent years, contract recruitment has been on the...