The Retention Management of Foreign Non-regular Workers: in Terms of International Maritime Industry

Abstract

This article focuses on the human resource management of global maritime companies. The purpose of this article is to suggest some conditions under which maritime companies perform retention management of seafarers successfully. Most of the seafarers who work for major maritime companies are foreigners, and they make short term working contracts with the companies. Recently, the shortage of seafarers is a very serious problem, so that maritime companies face high competition to employ seafarers. Therefore, the retention management of seafarers is a very important issue for these companies. Then, this article discusses the theme mentioned above, in terms of case study and theoretical framework of retention management. I conducted interview researches to the human resource division of a major maritime company in Japan, its ship management subsidiary in Singapore, and also the seafarers working on a container ship that the company operates from Hong Kong to Kobe. I was on board the ship, and conducted interviews to all the crew who were Indian and Filipino. I comprehend the human resource management which effects retention of seafarers, and also retention factors which discourage turn over. Based on the research, the article discusses the conditions under which maritime companies perform retention management of foreign seafarers successfully. As a result, this article specifies six retention factors: safety management, salary, fairness and transparency of appreciation and promotion system, in-house training, advantages of maritime companies itself, management participation. And, I suggested the process from retention factors to retention performance in terms of commitment.