Employment and Labour Relations in the Global Cruise Industry: Insights into Maritime Work and Social Dynamics

This research project explores contemporary working conditions and employment structures within the globally operating cruise industry. It focuses on onboard social dynamics, the interaction of diverse cultural and professional backgrounds, and key issues such as transnational mobility and migration, regulation, and inequality. Central to the project is the employees’ perspective: Drawing on qualitative interviews, ethnographic fieldwork, and cultural analysis, the project seeks to understand how work at sea is experienced, organized, and negotiated by crew members.

The study situates these labour environments within broader Blue Economy debates, which increasingly frame the ocean as a space of economic opportunity and innovation. Based on the findings, the project aims to generate practical recommendations for policy and business to promote socially sustainable and equitable working conditions in the cruise sector. In doing so, it contributes to a deeper understanding of the social, ecological and economic dimensions of maritime value creation.