"Before this global financial crisis, there was a shortage of around 12,000 [ships] officers around the world," he said. "So many companies were really having a hard time finding officers. They were even calling those already in the grave."
With many ships out of service, the number of officers and crewmen is slowly coming into balance with ships that need them, he said.
In Manila's Luneta Park, hundreds of seamen arrive daily to hear the job offers from recruiters operating dozens of kiosks or walking around with signs that advertise openings.
Nilson Marquez, 21, was strolling among unemployed seamen with a sign marked "URGENT" above a list of positions immediately available on crude oil and chemical tankers.
Despite the recession, seamen's wages are up 10% from last year, he and other agents said. Marquez's agency is offering $10,200 a month to captains able to pilot crude oil tankers.
But after several passes through the morning crowd of choice-weary job hunters, he was getting a lot of uninterested shrugs.
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paul.watson@latimes.com
