MZ generation shuns maritime jobs, citing tough working conditions

The biggest reason young Koreans in the MZ generation — those born from the early 1980s to the early 2000s — avoid maritime careers is the demanding work environment, a new study has found. Although job opportunities in the maritime sector have expanded well beyond seafaring and fishing to include advanced fields such as shipping and port logistics, marine biotech, smart aquaculture and marine AI, young people still tend to picture the industry through a traditional lens, the research found.

According to a paper by Lee Eun-young, a visiting professor at Myongji University, published Monday in the Korea Maritime Institute's academic journal "Ocean Policy Research," demanding working conditions were cited by 42.5 percent of MZ-generation respondents as their primary reason for avoiding maritime jobs. That was followed by compensation and work systems along with social perception (17.9 percent), poor work-life balance due to time and distance constraints (17.1 percent), lack of access to information (10.4 percent), job-specific challenges including future uncertainty and high entry barriers (8.3 percent), and a closed organizational culture (3.8 percent).

Survey results on why the MZ generation avoids maritime jobs. [Provided by Korea Maritime Institute]

The study analyzed how the MZ generation perceives maritime jobs and what factors shape their career choices, and also tested whether the way the industry is presented affects those perceptions.

When the maritime sector was introduced as a high-tech industry encompassing AI, smart aquaculture and marine biotech, respondents rated it highest on innovation, job appeal and social prestige. By contrast, framing the industry around public-interest values such as environmental protection and sustainability had a comparatively limited effect on boosting career interest.

The paper noted that maritime jobs now span a wide range of advanced fields — including shipping and port logistics, marine data analysis, marine robotics, unmanned vessels and ocean energy — and are no longer confined to seafarers and fishers. Young people's perceptions, however, have not kept pace with how rapidly the industry is changing, the paper said.

"To attract more young talent to the maritime and fisheries sector, a rebranding strategy that highlights advanced technologies such as AI and smart aquaculture — rather than the industry's public-interest role — is needed," Lee wrote. "At the same time, structural improvements to working conditions, compensation systems and access to information must also be made."

adastra@heraldcorp.com