Tackling the digital talent crunch in shipping

The maritime industry is modernising and the workforce will need to keep pace. New tech roles are being created and companies will need to differentiate themselves to attract talent and build winning teams.

Those were the thoughts of Elsie Ng, Head of Talent Solutions – Singapore at LinkedIn, who was highlighting the interplay between digital and talent transformation.

She was speaking at an event to launch the new Circle of HR InnOvators network for maritime human resource professionals. It was felt such a group was needed to drive workforce transformation in Singapore’s maritime industry.

The network was the brainchild of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF). “For Singapore to maintain its lead as a top international maritime centre, the ability to attract, develop and retain talent is crucial. This is where HR plays an important role in helping Singapore maritime companies to build a competitive workforce equipped with necessary skills to address our challenges and opportunities,’’ said Mr Sohmen-Pao, Chairman of SMF.

The maritime HR network will also join forces with the Circle of Digital InnOvators (CDO) networks to increase synergies between digitalisation and workforce transformation. The CDO network was launched earlier this year to bring together digital innovators from maritime enterprises to champion the adoption of technology and innovation.

While it may have an old-fashioned image there are lots of innovative companies popping up in the shipping sector.

One such firm is SparesCNX, which optimises the shipping supply chain by providing an automated inventory management and tracking solution. It’s estimated that inaccurate inventory costs the global shipping industry up to US$2 billion a year.