- The country-by-country analysis in this chapter analyses the labour market in IWT more deeply by taking into account data from various national sources such as statistical offices, social security institutions, ministries, employment agencies and shipping administrations. It was not possible to present all data for the countries in exactly the same way (same indicators, same degree of detail, same methodology, etc.) This lack of consistency could not be avoided, given that the availability of data and the type of data produced vary greatly from one country to another.
- In addition, in this chapter, numbers may diverge from Eurostat SBS data for multiple reasons. First, unlike the Eurostat SBS numbers, which are based on administrative data, some sources in this chapter rely on survey data. Second, while Eurostat figures are entirely based on the NACE categories, which assign individuals to economic sectors according to their companies’ main activities, some sources in this chapter classify persons according to their individual main occupations.
- Comparisons between the numbers of different countries in this chapter should be made very carefully due to the possible methodological differences. But such comparisons are of course important and necessary, so as to identify tendencies which could not be evaluated based on Eurostat data only.
- Another potential source is service record books and certificates of qualification. However, they are often not a reliable source to assess employment trends since:
– it is not possible to determine whether the holder of a service record book or a certificate of qualification is still active or retired and,
– one person might have been in the SBS database with more than one service record book or qualification certificate before the new legal framework applied to all crew members (transition period for registration of one single active service record book in ECDB running from 2022 to 2032), having obtained different ranks or fulfilling the obligation to renew a certificate. - The availability of fully reliable service record books and certificates of qualification will be of incredible added value for the statistical monitoring of the labour market in inland navigation. The adoption of the delegated EU-regulation 2020/473 is already a first step towards more reliability of the data registered in service record books. It will be completed once all certificates of qualification and service record books issued according to Directive (EU) 2017/2397 and the Regulations for Personnel navigating on the Rhine (RPN) are registered centrally in the European Crew Database.
RHINE COUNTRIES
- At the level of the CCNR, data regarding the Rhine certification of qualification as a boatmaster (Rhine patent) are collected annually. As explained in general terms in the introduction to this chapter, service record books and data regarding certificates of qualification do not allow to differentiate between active and retired workers, and the risk that IWT workers registered in such databases are counted twice (or even more) are high. It is therefore not possible to use such data to assess the number of active IWT workers according to their competences. An additional limitation with regard to the Rhine patent data is that they include only those people who qualified as boatmasters – or who received an authorisation to sail on Rhine stretches with specific risks in CCNR Member States – to work on the Rhine labour market. However, such data also have the merit of providing an indication of the number of newly delivered certificates, life-long learning and the number of boatmasters aged 50 and over.
- For the Rhine labour market, Germany and the Netherlands, on average deliver together annually, close to 90% of new Rhine patents, followed by Belgium (Flanders mainly), France and Switzerland. The Netherlands alone account for around 55%, on average. The delivery of new Rhine patents between 2015 and 2018 decreased from 372 to 293 and picked up again in 2019 and 2021 to reach respectively 349 and 359. Despite the Covid-19 crisis, 301 new Rhine patents were delivered in 2020.
- Regarding the extension of validity of Rhine patents,10 on average, 50% of such extensions are delivered in the Netherlands, 25% in Germany and 20% in Belgium (Flanders mainly). No specific decreasing or increasing trend can be derived from the available figures. On average, 3,070 of such patents, which target boatmasters aged 50 and over, were extended each year, following renewal of their medical fitness tests. This shows that a constant number of boatmasters continue to operate over the age of 50 and keep a continued interest in having a Rhine patent.
- The evolution in the number of material extension of existing Rhine patents, radar patents and certificates for the proof of knowledge of river sections delivered since 2015, shows the willingness of boatmasters – whether or not they obtained their certification in CCNR countries -, to continue learning and specialising throughout their careers. This is particularly true for the holders of non-CCNR boatmasters’ certificates, given the overall increasing number of certificates of knowledge of the sector over time. These are positive observations in terms of life-long learning.
- Statistical data on employment in IWT are available from the German Statistical Office (Destatis) as well as from the German Federal Labour Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit). The labour agency data refer only to employees but are very detailed and allow the differentiation of employment by several parameters. The Destatis data are less detailed but have the important advantage that they include also entrepreneurs.
- Before plunging into the detailed data of the Federal Labour Agency, an overview on the general structure of the IWT labour market in Germany is provided. Hereby, data from the Statistical Office are used, as they contain both data on the self-employed and on employees.
- Employment in IWW freight transport fluctuated around 4,000 persons between 2009 and 2017 but followed a slight downward trend in the following years. Within the total figures, the share of the self-employed decreased between 2008 and 2020, descending from 18.4% in 2008, to 14.5% in 2020.
- A comparison between the absolute number of employees according to the Destatis data with the number of employees11 from the database of the German Federal Labour Agency reveals no significant differences between the two sources. The average deviation between the two series was 2.4% for freight transport in the time-period 2013-2020.
- Employment in IWW passenger transport enjoyed an upward trend from 2014 to 2019. This trend was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, but employment appears to have been far less reduced than the passenger transport activity itself. This might be explained by policy measures that are common for the German labour market. An important tool is the so-called ‘Kurzarbeitergeld’, which represents short-time allowances paid by the state in order to save employment during times of poor activity in a sector.
- In 2020, the share of self-employed amounted to around 8.3% in German passenger transport, compared to 13.4% in 2008. The share of the self-employed is therefore smaller than in freight transport, which can be explained by the fact that Germany has the largest passenger vessel capacity in Europe, spread over the second largest fleet of passenger vessels (the Netherlands having the largest fleet but in general less places on board day trip vessels). As is the case in freight transport, the share of self-employed has been following a decreasing trend since 2008.
- The number of employees according to Destatis differs a little more from the Employment Agency figures than in freight transport. In the time span 2013-2020, the average deviation between the two series was 8.8%. Nevertheless, both series clearly show the same trend.
- As already indicated above, the German Federal Labour Agency has very detailed datasets regarding employees working in the German IWT sector. A comparison between freight and passenger transport shows that the number of employees in passenger transport followed a positive trend until 2019. Due to the Covid pandemic, however, employment decreased in 2020 and 2021. By 2021, employment in IWW passenger transport was 13% lower than in 2019. Employment in freight transport has remained rather constant since 2017.
- Total employment comprises both employees working under the social security regime, as well as employees working under the so-called marginal employment regime (in German: kurzfristige und geringfügige Beschäftigung). Within German labour law, there are two types of marginal employment:
1. The employment is limited by its nature (e.g. seasonal work) or in advance by contract to a maximum of 3 months or 70 working days within a calendar year.
2. The remuneration from this employment does not regularly exceed a limit of € 520 per month. - Based on the database of the German Federal Employment Agency, the total number of employees in the German transport sector can be differentiated according to several criteria:
– Type of employment (social security regime / marginal employment)
– Market segment (goods transport / passenger transport)
– Nationality of the employee (German / Foreigner)
– Age group to which the employee belongs
– Gender of the employee - A detailed analysis of the data according to these criteria is shown in the present section.
- The results confirm that in Germany, IWW passenger transport has a higher number of employees than IWW freight transport. The share of the marginal employment is distinctively different between the two segments. Whereas in passenger transport it reached 29.5% in 2022, it reached only 9.8% in freight transport in the same year.
- It is interesting to note the evolution of this share within passenger transport over time. Indeed, in the past, the share of marginal employment had been even higher, reaching 30.8% in 2018 and 30.5% in 2019. With the Covid crisis, the share fell by more than six percentage points, to 24.3% (2020). In 2021, it recovered only slightly to 24.8%, and in 2022 it returned closer to pre-pandemic levels with a share of 29.5%.
- The interpretation of this evolution is related to the strong reduction in passenger demand during the pandemic. The passenger day trip and cruising companies, when faced with the necessity to reduce employment because of the complete halt in their business activity, obviously focused on seasonal staff and low-paid workers, whose contracts were terminated first.
- In IWW passenger transport, the number of employees with marginal employment was therefore 34% lower in 2020 compared to 2019. For employees under the social security regime, the reduction was only 10%.
- The IWW passenger transport market has the highest share of marginal employment within the German transport sector, as the following figure shows. It is obvious that passenger transport has a higher share of seasonal workers. However, in maritime and coastal passenger transport, the share of marginal employees is less than half as high as in IWW passenger transport.
- In all branches of the German transport sector, the share of marginal employment within total employment was reduced in the wake of the Covid crisis. The strongest reduction was thus observed for two of the three branches, where this form of employment plays an important role (in IWW passenger transport and in maritime and coastal passenger transport). In road transport, no significant reduction in the marginal employment share did occur.
- Within both types of employment (social security regime and marginal employment), employees comprise both persons of German and foreign nationalities. In contrast to what would have been expected, a higher share of foreign personnel within marginal employment is not detected within the dataset. Indeed, the opposite is true: foreigners are relatively less frequently employed under a marginal employment scheme than Germans.
- When considering only employees working under the social security scheme, it is seen that the share of foreigners is relatively high in IWW freight transport, also in comparison with other branches of the German transport sector. It exceeds the share of foreigners in maritime, road and rail freight transport. On the other hand, the increase in the share of foreign personnel is even steeper in road freight transport than in IWW freight transport. Both transport markets are currently facing a lack of personnel.
- The three countries of origin with the greatest number of foreigners working in the German IWW sector are Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania. In general, eastern European countries (Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Ukraine, Croatia, Russia) are predominant countries of origin of foreign workers in the German IWT sector. The Netherlands also plays an important role as country of origin, although the figures of Dutch nationals working in the German IWT sector as employees show a negative trend.
- For the entire German IWT sector (freight and passenger transport taken together), the share of foreigners was 22.0% in 2022 among persons working under the social security regime. As shown in the table above, the share is higher in goods transport, where it amounted to 35.3% in 2022, compared to passenger transport (12.6% in 2022).
- A differentiation by gender reveals a rather high share of male workers in the transport sector overall. An exception is maritime and coastal transport of passengers, where the ratio between male and female workers approaches a value which is more typical of the economy as a whole. In IWW passenger transport, the share of female workers is much higher than in IWW freight transport, most likely due to the gastronomic and service activities which play an important role in passenger transport in general. Those workers are mostly hired on a seasonal basis.
- Regarding the type of employment, analysis on gender specific employment patterns reveals that the share of male workers is higher for all the categories or workers analysed in table 2. Nevertheless, among the employees working under the marginal employment scheme, women present a share almost equal to men both for passenger and goods transport. The interpretation of this pattern relates to the fact that inland vessels are often owned and operated by family companies. Therefore, women often work only for a limited number of hours (at least according to the official company model) and are therefore often employed on the basis of a marginal employment scheme.
- The distribution of employees according to age groups currently differs little in IWW freight and IWW passenger transport when compared to other transport modes.
- The category of workers above the age of 64 detains the lowest share among all modes of transport. The reason behind is that the age of 65 years constitutes the age of retirement. Passenger transport on inland waterways reaches the highest share (4.4%) for this group of persons within all modes of transport, although this share is only slightly higher than for other modes of transport. Taking into consideration the evolution of age group distributions over time per mode of transport (see tables and graphs below), some important features can be observed.
- First of all, since 2015, the share of persons over 64 years has increased in IWW freight and in IWW passenger transport as well as in road freight transport.
- Within the youngest age group (< 25 years), since 2015, the absolute number as well as the share of workers has decreased in IWW freight transport and in maritime freight transport.
- In IWW passenger transport, the numbers of persons under 25 years and their share remained rather stable. In addition, it can be observed that employment in road transport is increasing in almost all age groups.
- With regard to employment in IWW passenger transport, an overall positive employment evolution can be observed, largely attributed to the 55-64 age group.
- The monthly gross median income12 for full-time IWW workers under the social security regime in Germany has increased since 2013, on a trend basis. Only a slight decrease can be observed for passenger transport in 2020.
- The German labour agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) also reprocesses data in order to have an overview of the durations of employment relations, subject to social security contributions. In 2021, 1,442 employment relations in passenger IWT and 1,007 in freight IWT were terminated. Within passenger transport, more than 70% of the employment relations that were terminated in 2021 had lasted for less than 12 months.
- Such a high share provides evidence of a high degree of seasonality in this sector. The seasonality appears both in river cruising as well as in the day trip or excursion business.
- In IWW freight transport, the share of employment contracts with a longer duration is clearly higher than in passenger transport. Yet, about 33% of all employment relations that were terminated in 2021 had lasted less than 6 months.
EVOLUTION OF THE RHINE PATENT DELIVERED OVER TIME
FIGURE 1: NUMBER OF RHINE PATENTS DELIVERED BETWEEN 2015 AND 2021*
Source: CCNR
* For material extension data, data for Flanders missing in 2020, data for Belgium missing in 2021; for Radar patent in 2016, data for Belgium missing. For extension of validity, data for Germany missing between 2010 and 2014.
FIGURE 2: NUMBER OF THE NEWLY DELIVERED RHINE PATENTS BETWEEN 2015 AND 2021 PER CCNR COUNTRY
Source: CCNR
FIGURE 3: NUMBER OF EXTENSION OF VALIDITY OF RHINE PATENTS DELIVERED BETWEEN 2015 AND 2021 PER CCNR COUNTRY
Source: CCNR
GERMANY
i. General overview
FIGURE 4: TOTAL EMPLOYMENT IN IWW FREIGHT TRANSPORT IN GERMANY
Source: Destatis
* Includes helping family members.
FIGURE 5: TOTAL EMPLOYMENT IN IWW PASSENGER TRANSPORT IN GERMANY
Source: Destatis
* Includes helping family members.
ii. Detailed data on employees from Bundesagentur für Arbeit
Employment by type
FIGURES 6 AND 7: NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN IWW PASSENGER (TOP) AND FREIGHT (BOTTOM) TRANSPORT IN GERMANY
Source: Bundesagentur für Arbeit
FIGURE 8: SHARE OF MARGINAL EMPLOYMENT WITHIN ALL EMPLOYEES IN THE GERMAN TRANSPORT SECTOR (IN %)
Sources: Bundesagentur für Arbeit, CCNR analysis
Employment by nationality
TABLE 1: SHARE OF GERMANS AND FOREIGNERS AMONG EMPLOYEES IN GERMAN INLAND NAVIGATION (2022)
| Segment | Germans | Foreigners |
|---|---|---|
| Passenger transport, social security regime | 87.4% | 12.6% |
| Passenger transport, marginal employment | 90.1% | 9.9% |
| Freight transport, social security regime | 64.7% | 35.3% |
| Freight transport, marginal employment | 88.2% | 11.8% |
Sources: Bundesagentur für Arbeit, CCNR analysis
FIGURE 9: SHARE OF FOREIGNERS AMONG EMPLOYEES* IN THE GERMAN TRANSPORT SECTOR (IN %)
Sources: Bundesagentur für Arbeit, CCNR analysis
* Employees under social security regime
FIGURE 10: NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES WITH FOREIGN NATIONALITY IN THE GERMAN INLAND NAVIGATION SECTOR BY NATIONALITY *
Sources: Bundesagentur für Arbeit, CCNR analysis
* Data concern both freight and passenger transport but only employees working under social security regime.
Employment by gender
FIGURE 11: SHARE OF EMPLOYEES BY GENDER IN 2022 (IN %) *
Sources: Bundesagentur für Arbeit, CCNR analysis
Situation as of 30 June 2022
* Employees under social security regime
TABLE 2: SHARE OF MEN AND WOMEN AMONG EMPLOYEES IN GERMAN INLAND NAVIGATION (2022)
| Segment | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Passenger transport, social security regime | 71.6% | 28.4% |
| Passenger transport, marginal employment | 55.2% | 44.8% |
| Freight transport, social security regime | 83.1% | 16.9% |
| Freight transport, marginal employment | 53.4% | 46.6% |
Sources: Bundesagentur für Arbeit, CCNR analysis
Employment by age groups
FIGURE 12: SHARE OF EMPLOYEES BY AGE GROUP IN 2022 (IN %)
Sources: Bundesagentur für Arbeit and CCNR analysis
Situation as of 30 June 2022
TABLE 3: SHARE OF EMPLOYEES BY AGE GROUP IN DIFFERENT MARKET SEGMENTS IN THE GERMAN TRANSPORT SECTOR (IN %) *
| Market segment | < 25 | 25-54 | 55-64 | > 64 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freight IWT (2015) | 9.6 | 66.5 | 21.7 | 2.3 |
| Freight IWT (2017) | 7.6 | 67.1 | 23.1 | 2.2 |
| Freight IWT (2019) | 6.5 | 67.9 | 22.8 | 2.9 |
| Freight IWT (2021) | 7.3 | 65.5 | 23.8 | 3.5 |
| Freight IWT (2022) | 6.7 | 64.7 | 24.9 | 3.8 |
| Passenger IWT (2015) | 8.2 | 67.7 | 20.6 | 3.6 |
| Passenger IWT (2017) | 8.5 | 65.3 | 22.0 | 4.1 |
| Passenger IWT (2019) | 9.0 | 62.2 | 24.3 | 4.6 |
| Passenger IWT (2021) | 7.8 | 61.2 | 27.1 | 3.9 |
| Passenger IWT (2022) | 8.2 | 59.8 | 27.5 | 4.4 |
| Freight maritime (2015) | 8.9 | 74.1 | 16.0 | 1.1 |
| Freight maritime (2017) | 8.8 | 73.6 | 16.6 | 1.0 |
| Freight maritime (2019) | 8.4 | 72.8 | 17.8 | 1.0 |
| Freight maritime (2021) | 8.1 | 72.8 | 18.0 | 1.1 |
| Freight maritime (2022) | 7.5 | 72.9 | 18.3 | 1.2 |
| Passenger maritime (2015) | 6.6 | 78.6 | 13.2 | 1.6 |
| Passenger maritime (2017) | 6.6 | 79.5 | 12.5 | 1.4 |
| Passenger maritime (2019) | 7.9 | 77.7 | 12.8 | 1.7 |
| Passenger maritime (2021) | 6.0 | 75.6 | 16.7 | 1.8 |
| Passenger maritime (2022) | 6.9 | 74.4 | 16.7 | 1.9 |
| Freight road (2015) | 5.1 | 73.9 | 18.9 | 2.1 |
| Freight road (2017) | 5.3 | 72.1 | 20.2 | 2.4 |
| Freight road (2019) | 5.5 | 70.2 | 21.6 | 2.7 |
| Freight road (2021) | 5.6 | 68.6 | 22.8 | 3.0 |
| Freight road (2022) | 5.6 | 67.9 | 23.3 | 3.2 |
| Freight rail (2015) | 9.7 | 66.9 | 23.1 | 0.2 |
| Freight rail (2017) | 9.2 | 66.0 | 24.5 | 0.2 |
| Freight rail (2019) | 9.1 | 65.8 | 24.8 | 0.3 |
| Freight rail (2021) | 9.5 | 66.2 | 23.9 | 0.4 |
| Freight rail (2022) | 9.6 | 66.5 | 23.5 | 0.4 |
Sources: Bundesagentur für Arbeit and CCNR analysis
* Employees under social security regime
FIGURES 13, 14 AND 15: NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN FREIGHT TRANSPORT BY AGE GROUPS
Sources: Bundesagentur für Arbeit, CCNR analysis
FIGURE 16: NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN IWW PASSENGER TRANSPORT BY AGE GROUPS
Sources: Bundesagentur für Arbeit, CCNR analysis
Income levels and job durations
FIGURE 17: GROSS MEDIAN INCOME IN PASSENGER AND FREIGHT IWT (IN €)
Sources: Bundesagentur für Arbeit, CCNR analysis
FIGURE 18: SHARE OF DURATIONS OF EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS TERMINATED IN 2021 (IN %)
Sources: Bundesagentur für Arbeit, CCNR analysis
Only employment relations subject to social security contributions.
THE NETHERLANDS
- The numbers and full-time equivalents (FTEs)13 of employees and all persons employed in Dutch IWT separately are based on sample surveys from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) and are presented in figures 19 to 23.14 Compared to Eurostat, the net hiring of persons from other companies is included in the definition used by CBS for all persons employed, which largely explains the differences observed between CBS and Eurostat data regarding the number of persons employed in the Netherlands. It is estimated by CBS that up to 3,000 persons employed in Dutch IWT in 2017 stemmed from net hiring from foreign companies. This number could also include workers posted to the Netherlands.
- According to CBS data, employment in IWT in the Netherlands has increased from 2009 to 2020, particularly between 2016 and 2018, both in terms of the number of persons employed and hours worked.
FIGURE 19: NUMBER OF FTES AND PERSONS WORKING IN IWT IN THE NETHERLANDS BY EMPLOYMENT STATUS *
Source: Statistics Netherlands (CBS)
* The data on all persons employed comprise employees and self-employed.
- In the Netherlands, freight and passenger companies in inland navigation have similar characteristics. Both market segments are characterised by a large number of small companies employing only one or two persons. Whereas for passenger transport the most frequent company size is one that employs one person, in freight IWT it is the two-person-company.
- Regarding passenger transport companies, it should be considered that the Netherlands not only has larger river cruise companies but also many smaller companies active in excursions.
- For passenger transport, the trend in the number of one-person companies was positive in previous years.
FIGURE 20: NUMBER OF PASSENGER IWT COMPANIES IN THE NETHERLANDS BY EMPLOYMENT SIZE
Sources: Statistics Netherlands (CBS), CCNR analysis
- For freight transport, a different trend is observed for the one-person companies compared to the two-person companies.
FIGURE 21: NUMBER OF FREIGHT IWT COMPANIES IN THE NETHERLANDS BY EMPLOYMENT SIZE
Sources: Statistics Netherlands (CBS), CCNR analysis
- The certificates needed to operate inland vessels (certificates of qualification as a boatmaster) in the Netherlands are issued by the Central Office for Motor Vehicle Driver Testing (CBR). CBR data also allow to assess the evolution in the number of issued certificates by age and gender of boatmasters.
- With the implementation of the EU Directive 2017/2397 and the new Regulations for Rhine navigation personnel (RPN), a boatmaster who instructs other deck crew members and supervises their tasks, must hold a certificate of qualification as a boatmaster. Such certificates can be delivered with or without authorisations to sail on inland waterways with a maritime character.15 Before 2022, CBR relied on a different classification system. Figure 22 shows the evolution of certificates delivered by CBR since 2010, based on this former classification. The numbers of all certificates issued have shown an upward trend during the last decade. However, the growth was at a more moderate level in 2020 and 2021, which may be explained by the impact of Covid-19 when it was more difficult to arrange practical exams or medical check-ups.
FIGURE 22: NUMBER OF ISSUED CERTIFICATES BY TYPE OF CERTIFICATES16 AND YEAR *
Sources: CBR, CCNR analysis
* Large boat Certificate A stands for Boatmaster’s certificate of Qualification including inland waterways with a maritime character; Large boat Certificate B stands for Boatmaster’s certificate of Qualification; a provisional Rhine Patent consists in a provisional document which is provided between the moment the exam is successfully passed (or the moment a renewal is requested) and the moment when the official physical certificate is delivered; Certificates for the proof of knowledge of river sections and the Restricted Large Boat Certificates A and B are not shown due to their very small number.
- It should be noted, however, that all considered certificates had to be renewed when reaching different age thresholds (50, 55, 60, 65 and every year after 65) so that changes in the number of certificates issued over time might rather reflect the age structure of boatmasters rather than actual changes in their numbers. With regard to gender, 91% of boatmasters’ certificates holders are male and 8% are female.
- From 2022 onwards, figures can no longer be compared with the previous figures and be added to the previous figure in light of classification changes as a result of the implementation of the Directive (EU) 2017/2397 and the new RPN. As of 1st January 2022, 248 certificates of qualification as a boatmaster and 6,584 certificates of qualification as a boatmaster including inland waterways with a maritime character are recorded by CBR.
FIGURE 23: NUMBER OF ISSUED CERTIFICATES REGISTERED IN THE CBR DATABASE AS OF 2022 BY AGE *
Sources: CBR, CCNR analysis
* Age thresholds for the obligation to renew the certificates are marked. From age 65 onwards, an annual renewal is mandatory.
FRANCE
- INSEE (Institut National de la Statistique et des Études Économiques), the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies, is a general directorate of the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Its mission is to collect, analyse and disseminate information on the French economy and society throughout its territory.
- A strength of the INSEE data is that not only do they include information about the employees, but also data on self-employed persons. In addition, the INSEE data carry information for the entire transport sector other than IWT, including information for the whole economy.
- With regard to the self-employed, the figures provided by INSEE identify self-employed persons within the NACE categories relevant for inland navigation, namely inland passenger water transport (NACE category 50.3) and inland freight water transport (NACE category 50.4).
- With regard to employees, for the field of inland navigation, there is a total of three relevant collective labour agreements, one for passenger transport (“Navigation intérieure passagers”), one for persons employed on board vessels in freight transport (“Navigation intérieure de marchandises ouvriers“) and the last for shore-based personnel mainly in freight transport such as in ports or for transport logistics (“Navigation intérieure de marchandises sédentaire”). However, there are plans to merge these three collective agreements in the future which will possibly make it more difficult, from a statistical point of view, to differentiate between passenger and freight IWT employees. The INSEE data therefore enable the comparison of employees under these inland navigation collective agreements with:
– the whole population of employees under collective agreements (referred to as follows as “all agreements”), therefore covering all economic sectors of activity in France, and,
– all employees under collective agreements in the whole transport sector (CRIS), including road, rail, air, maritime and inland navigation transport. - This makes it possible to discover particularities of employment in the inland navigation sector and thus facilitates the understanding of its structure. However, it must be noted that the INSEE data are not directly comparable to Eurostat SBS17 data as the pool of employees covered is not the same. Indeed, the assignment to a certain collective agreement does not necessarily correspond to the assignment to a related NACE category, on which Eurostat data in the case of France are based.
- On the cut-off date of 31 December 2020, about 2,301 persons (1,343 on board and 958 ashore18) were employed under the collective agreement for workers in IWW freight transport. These 2,301 persons accounted for about 1,946 full-time equivalents (FTEs). This difference probably stems from some persons working part-time. Additionally, about 2,437 persons were subject to the collective agreement for employees in IWW passenger transport, accounting for about 1,163 FTEs. As one FTE corresponds to a standard French full-time contract of 35 working hours per week, this implies a working time of nearly 44 hours per week in case of a full-time contract or a corresponding proportionate working time in the event of having a part-time contract. This observation corroborates the assumption that a great deal of overtime is accumulated by employees working on board vessels in passenger transport where a high number of working hours is common, particularly on river cruises during the peak of the river cruise season. In addition, it can be the case that crew members want to earn as much as they can, for instance, by working longer hours to support their families or might prefer to accumulate their days off in favour of longer time at home with their families once the season is over.
- All in all, these numbers indicate that the employment share of inland navigation in overall transport in France is only 0.4%. For self-employed persons, the share of inland navigation in relation to all transport sectors in France is 0.7%. In terms of absolute numbers for both employees and self-employed, the INSEE data are higher than the respective Eurostat SBS figures.
- For the passenger sector, the number of employees consistently increased between 2016 and 2019, with a more significant increase of about 6% from 2018 to 2019. However, this constant trend was interrupted in 2020 with a decrease of 13% compared to 2019. For the freight sector, the opposite was observed since the number of employees between 2016 and 2018 constantly decreased, with a small and short-term recovery in 2019 followed by a slight decrease in 2020.
- Regarding self-employed persons in the passenger sector, the numbers slightly decreased from 2016 to 2017 and from the same year onwards (2017), the numbers constantly and slightly increased up to 2020. For the freight sector, the number of self-employed persons decreased between 2016 and 2019, with a more significant decrease of about 8% between 2018 and 2019, followed by a slight increase in 2020.
- For both categories, decreases observed between 2019 and 2020 are assumed to be attributed mainly to the Covid-19 crisis.
FIGURE 24: NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES AND SELF-EMPLOYED IN IWW FREIGHT AND PASSENGER IN FRANCE
Sources: INSEE, CCNR analysis
Situation as of 31 December 2020
- When analysing the socio-demographic structure of the workforce, an important characteristic is the age of the persons employed. The INSEE data give the number of employees and self-employed belonging to pre-defined age groups.
- For the passenger sector, the evolution of the number of employees from 2016 to 2020 was more or less stable for persons aged 60 years or older and for people aged between 45-59 years, including those between 30-44 years, for which the stability was observed until 2019. For young people aged under 30 years the evolution of the number of employees was volatile compared to other age groups. A decrease of about 9% of young employees (under 30 years old) from 2016 and 2017 was observed, followed by a constant increasing trend from 2017 up to 2019, after which a strong decrease of about 27% occurred until 2020. Older persons aged 60 years and above showed more permanence in the sector with more or less the same number of employees, with a noticeable decrease of about 27% from 2019 to 2020. These decreases observed between 2019 and 2020 are most certainly due to the Covid-19 crisis.
- For the freight sector, a progressive evolution of the number of employees from 2016 to 2020 was observed for persons aged 60 years or older, while an average stable trend was observed for people under 30 years old between 2017 and 2020. This confirms the ageing trend observed among the IWW freight transport workers in recent years. For people aged 30-44 years and 45-59 years, on average, a decreasing trend was observed from 2016 to 2020. Between 2016 and 2017, there was a decrease of about 22% in the number of young employees (under 30 years old), followed by a constant progressive trend from 2017 to 2019, after which a slight decrease of about 2% occurred until 2020. Persons aged 60 years and above increased over the years in the sector in terms of number of employees, with a major increase of about 12% from 2017 to 2018.
FIGURES 25 AND 26: NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN THE IWW PASSENGER (TOP) AND FREIGHT (BOTTOM) SECTORS IN FRANCE PER AGE GROUPS
Sources: INSEE, CCNR analysis
Situation as of 31 December 2020
- Regarding the passenger sector, between 2019 and 2020 there was no variation in terms of self-employed persons for people under 30 years old, while for the remaining years, the evolution was rather volatile, with a decrease between 2016 and 2017 and a noticeable increase from 2017 to 2018 of about 80%, followed by a slight decrease from 2018 to 2019. For persons aged 60 years or more, the evolution of self-employment was progressive up until 2020, with a significant increase from 2018 to 2020 of about 40%. Most of the company owners are between 30 and 49 years old.
- For the freight sector, and taking into consideration young people under 30 years old, between the years 2016 to 2019 there was a decreasing trend which ceased after an increase was observed in 2020 of about 19% when compared to 2019. Regarding people aged 60 years or older, the number of self-employed from 2016 and 2017 decreased (-6%), followed by a stable number of self-employed between 2017 and 2018, with a slight decrease from 2018 to 2019 (-2%) and finally, with a recovery in 2020, the same number of self-employed people in 2016 was observed. The age categories above 30 years are the most represented for self-employed persons while very few below 30 years own a company.
FIGURES 27 AND 28: NUMBER OF SELF-EMPLOYED IN THE IWW PASSENGER (TOP) AND FREIGHT (BOTTOM) SECTORS IN FRANCE PER AGE GROUPS
Sources: INSEE, CCNR analysis
Situation as of 31 December 2020
- About 23% of the employees in IWT, 21% and 18% in IWW freight transport on board and on shore respectively, and 26% in IWW passenger transport are under 30 years old. For the overall transport sector and for all employees subject to collective agreements, about 14% and 20% of the employees are young, aged under 30 years old respectively.
- IWW freight transport has a slightly above average share of employees of 60 years of age or older, particularly regarding persons working on board vessels. This implies that a relatively high share of employees will retire in the forthcoming years compared to other sectors, unless they continue to work after reaching retirement age, a phenomenon that is relatively common for persons working on board inland navigation vessels.
FIGURE 29: RELATIVE DISTRIBUTION OF EMPLOYEES ACROSS AGE GROUPS (IN %)
Sources: INSEE, CCNR analysis
Situation as of 31 December 2020
- Furthermore, inland navigation is a very male-dominated sector, albeit a little less so than all transport sectors together. Slightly more than 70% of the employees in IWW freight transport on board vessels in France are men and more than 60% are men within shore-based IWW freight transport (compared to 77% if all transport sectors are considered). With a female share of employment of more than a third, IWW passenger transport is a peculiarity within the transport sector. This is probably caused by a higher number of women among the hospitality staff on board river cruise vessels. In practice, the share of female workers on board is probably underestimated as spouses who help are often not “officially” counted as working personnel on board of inland navigation vessels.
FIGURE 30: SHARE OF EMPLOYEES BY GENDER (IN %)
Sources: INSEE, CCNR analysis
Situation as of 31 December 2020
- Given the INSEE data, the part-time share (7%) of employees (women and men) in IWT in France is, all in all, lower compared to the transport sector (9%) as well as the economy as a whole (16%). This notably applies to women in passenger IWT with a part-time share of approximately 3%. Indeed, for the whole economy, the share of women working part-time is distinctly higher (12%) compared to the 3% previously mentioned working in the passenger sector.
FIGURE 31: SHARE OF EMPLOYEES BY EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS (IN%)
Sources: INSEE, CCNR analysis
Situation as of 31 December 2020
- For the field of inland navigation, there is a total of six groups of work contract type given by INSEE, one for fixed-term employment contract (“CDD – contrat de travail à durée déterminée”), one for indefinite employment contract (“CDI – contrat de travail à durée indéterminée “), one for internship agreement (“convention de stage”), one for apprenticeship contract (“contrat d’apprentissage”), one for unspecified employment contract (“contrat de travail non renseigné”), and, finally, for other employment contracts (“autres contrats de travail”).
- The share of women or men employed under a fixed contract (CDI and CDD) usually lies roughly within the same order of magnitude in the IWT sector as in the transport sector and indeed throughout the whole economy.
FIGURES 32 AND 33: SHARE OF EMPLOYEES BY EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT (IN%)
Sources: INSEE, CCNR analysis
Situation as of 31 December 2020
- In order to examine the structure of the French IWT labour market as best as possible, it is also useful to look more closely at the wages that naturally determine to a large extent the attractiveness of a sector.
- The INSEE data give the average monthly net wage by age groups. Overall, the wages differ strongly across all the sectors and age groups. Inside the IWT sector, the IWW freight (both on board and on land) wages are significantly higher than the wages in IWW passenger transport.
- One interesting point is that when growing older, for people working on IWW freight transport on land and the whole economy, the average monthly net wage is the highest for people who are 60 years old or more, while for IWW freight transport on board, IWW passenger transport and the entire transport sector, persons between 45 and 59 years old appear to earn the highest wages.
- The IWW passenger transport sector exhibits the lowest wage for all age categories, when compared to the entire transport sector, but also the whole economy (“All agreements”).
- Compared to all other considered sectors (“All agreements”), the increase of wages when growing older is lower in the IWW passenger transport sector and higher in freight IWT on land.
FIGURE 34: AVERAGE MONTHLY NET WAGE BY AGE GROUP (IN €)
Sources: INSEE, CCNR analysis, Situation as of 31 December 2020
- It is important to know that the wages studied so far are average wages of all people in a specific sector. Thus, one could falsely conclude that employees in freight IWT on board are considerably underpaid in comparison to other sectors. However, this interpretation is challenged when analysing wages separately for different occupational categories. Indeed, about 80% of all employees covered by the collective agreement for freight IWT on board are blue-collar workers (“ouvriers”), approximately 9% are white-collar workers (“employés”) and the remaining categories, represent less than 6% each in participation of employees. This means that there is a large predominance of occupational categories with typically lower wages. In fact, reality shows that currently the wages of qualified nautical staff (boatmasters) have increased due to staff shortages. The share of blue-collar workers is substantially lower among employees of the two other IWT collective agreements, with 53% for freight IWT on land and 47% for passenger IWT.
FIGURE 35: SHARE OF OCCUPATIONAL CATEGORY (IN %)
Sources: INSEE, CCNR analysis
Situation as of 31 December 2020
- These differences can largely explain the wage differentials. As shown in the figure below, the average wage of employees in freight IWT on board is not overwhelmingly lower than that of other sectors when examined by occupational category. Furthermore, it is evident that the average wages in the occupational categories other than Manager in passenger IWT are comparatively low, bearing in mind that this is probably largely due to more hours worked.
FIGURE 36: AVERAGE MONTHLY NET WAGE BY OCCUPATIONAL CATEGORY (IN €)
Sources: INSEE, CCNR analysis
Situation as of 31 December 2020
- Apart from the workforce (employees), a pertinent analysis is made on the socio-demographic structure of the number of companies. With a focus on the important characteristic of the age of persons owning companies, the INSEE data revealed that about 6% of companies in IWT, 5% in IWW freight, and 7% in IWW passenger transport are represented by persons under 30 years old. For the overall transport sector, about 7% of the companies are represented by young people under 30 years old.
- About 19% of the companies in IWT, 31% in IWW freight, and 53% in IWW passenger transport are owned by persons between 30 and 49 years old. For the overall transport sector, about 50% of the companies are owned by people who are between 30-49 years old.
FIGURE 37: RELATIVE DISTRIBUTION OF COMPANIES ACROSS AGE GROUPS (IN %)
Sources: INSEE, CCNR analysis
Situation as of 31 December 2020
- Regarding company gender analysis, about 94% of the companies in IWW freight transport in France are owned by men (compared to 93% if all transport sectors are considered), against 6% of the companies owned by women (compared to 7% if all transport sectors are considered). For the passenger IWT sector, about 89% of the companies’ owners are men and 11% are women.
FIGURE 38: SHARE OF COMPANIES BY GENDER (IN %)
Sources: INSEE, CCNR analysis
Situation as of 31 December 2020
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