Ein einfaches, dunkelblaues Lupensymbol auf einem hellgrauen Hintergrund.
Ein einfaches, dunkelblaues Lupensymbol auf einem hellgrauen Hintergrund.
Ein einfaches, dunkelblaues Lupensymbol auf einem hellgrauen Hintergrund.
Ein einfaches, dunkelblaues Lupensymbol auf einem hellgrauen Hintergrund.
Cover page of a working paper titled A ship is only as strong as its crew, about employment in the German maritime sector from 2015 to 2024, with blue wave graphics and the Deutsches Maritimes Zentrum logo.

Title

A ship is only as strong as its crew: Employment and employment structure in the German maritime sector from 2015 to 2024

Publication Type

Working Paper

Author

Johannes Puckelwald (Advisor for Ports and Infrastructure, DMZ)

Publisher

Deutsches Maritimes Zentrum e.V.

Publication Date

04/2025

ISSN

3054-6613

DOI

10.66616/2dxr-txw5

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Abstract

Securing skilled workers and young talent is one of the key challenges facing Germany’s maritime sector. Against this backdrop, the working paper examines employment trends and the workforce structure of the maritime industry in Germany from 2015 to 2024, and develops a consistent methodological foundation for the continuous monitoring of the maritime labour market.

Methodologically, the analysis is based on a dedicated definition of the maritime sector comprising twelve sub-sectors, as well as a special evaluation of the Federal Employment Agency’s employment statistics. This is supplemented by additional data sources and estimation methods for sub-areas that cannot be clearly delineated using official statistics alone.

The results show that employment in the maritime sector increased by 5.9% between 2015 and 2024 to around 394,000 people, and continued to rise slightly in 2023 and 2024 despite weaker overall economic conditions. At the same time, the findings point to structural change: the number of apprentices is declining, the age profile is shifting towards older employees, the share of women is increasing, and employment growth is driven largely by people with foreign nationality. Overall, the analysis indicates rising recruitment and upskilling requirements and provides a robust basis for strategic measures to secure skilled labour and young talent in the maritime sector.