Earnings and engagement of seamen workers

Abstract

The minimum unit cost for transportation is provided by the merchant marine. These seamen have a high salary and are needed in the current labour market. In fact, the labour market in this sector has a shortage due to a number of limitations, such as the unique job description of this career, as well as that the work takes place offshore, forcing workers to be apart from their families. Factors that influence the income and engagement were hypothesised including economic and psychological factors that conjointly help to determine the income and engagement of a seaman. Mixed methods research was used as a research methodology. Purposive sampling was conducted with 362 seamen who work in a merchant marine company registered in Singapore, and in-depth interviews were also conducted with 14 key informants. The results indicate that not income, but rather non-cognitive skills (NC), are factors that influence the engagement of seamen, with statistical significance for factors such as level of openness, conscientiousness, and internal locus of control.