YPI Crew Salary Report 2020: ‘Rollercoaster of a year’

Last year “was a rollercoaster year” said Laurence Lewis, president of recruitment agency YPI CREW. The company has just published its annual crew salary report for 2020. There was a huge collapse of the recruitment market in April, followed by recovery during the summer from July onwards according to YPI. Many crew lost their jobs and were unsure about future prospects.

“Yet somehow salaries remained stable,” said Lewis. “Border restrictions and reduced access to transport contributed to keep tension on salary levels as even yacht crew found it challenging to move around the world – the reduced availability of ‘ready to employ’ crew clearly acted as leverage on the market. We foresee that 2021 will see some stability return to the crew recruitment market and that salaries might either plateau or register a slight growth again.”

The report outlines the average salary range for each crew position, including captains, engineers, pursers, stews, chefs, and deckhands. This is for both motor and sailing yachts of varying size, as well as both temporary and permanent roles. Since the site launched in 2016, more than 5,655 salaries have been collected.

Yacht captains on 81m to 100m motor yachts earned the highest salary –up to £14,500 per month. The lowest yacht captain salary was £5,048 per month, on a yacht below 35m.

Other high-earning positions include chief engineers, with the highest salary reported at £10,250 per month for a rotation position on a 101m plus yacht. Chief officer salaries trailed slightly behind, with the highest monthly salary reported as £7,700 for a rotation position on a 101m plus vessel.

Comparatively, deckhands, viewed as an entry-level position, earned from £1,700 to £2,900 per month, depending on yacht size.

Crew on motor yachts were paid more than crew on sailboats. Additionally, crew salaries generally increased by yacht size, with crew working on the largest yachts taking home the highest salaries.

Superyacht salaries – at a glance

• Captains on 81m to 100m motor yachts earned the highest salary –up to £14,500 per month
• Chief engineers are second with the highest salary reported at £10,250 per month
• Chief officer salaries trailed slightly behind, with the highest monthly salary reported as £7,700
• Entry-level positions, such as deckhands, earned from £1,700 to £2,900 per month.