OECD: Ocean economy sustains more than 100 million jobs

May 6, 2025, by Naida Hakirevic Prevljak

Over 100 million full-time equivalent jobs are sustained by the global ocean economy, with marine and coastal tourism and Asia-Pacific leading the charge, data provided by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows.

However, the future of ocean work depends on preparation for automation and skills transition, according to the intergovernmental organization.

The ocean economy is a vital but often overlooked part of the global economy. From fishing and tourism to offshore energy and maritime transport, it supports millions of jobs across diverse industries and regions. Yet, until recently, there has been no consistent global picture of how many people the ocean economy actually employs. New international estimates from the OECD Ocean Economy Monitor help fill this gap.

Between 1995 and 2020, the ocean economy consistently supported more than 100 million full-time equivalent jobs (FTEs) worldwide. Employment peaked at 151 million in 2006 and averaged 138 million over the period. In 2020, global ocean economy employment dropped to a low of 101 million due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, preliminary estimates suggest a recovery is underway towards levels similar to pre-2019. The earliest estimate from 1995 was 122 million FTEs, which is relatively low compared to the 21st-century average, where the floor remained above 134 million.

Which ocean economic activities employ the most people?

As per OECD, the largest source of employment in the ocean economy is marine and coastal tourism.

These industries tend to be labor-intensive and less suited to automation, making them global job creators. On average, marine and coastal tourism accounted for around 60% of the global ocean economy full-time equivalent jobs between 1995 and 2020.

Interestingly, marine and coastal tourism also happens to be the largest ocean economic activity group in terms of its contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) in most years between 1995 and 2020. However, other large activity groups in GDP contribution are not automatically large employers. Offshore oil and gas extraction and the offshore industry that services it, for example, represent the second largest part of the ocean economy in GDP terms but generate relatively few FTEs.

What is more, one of the newest and fastest-growing sectors in the ocean economy is offshore wind and marine renewables. Before 2000, this industry was virtually non-existent on any industrial scale. Since then, at times, exponential growth in production has enabled offshore wind to play an increasingly meaningful role in the energy mix of some countries.

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However, while its output is growing rapidly, global employment levels remain low compared to other ocean economic activity groups, reflecting the industries’ nascent stage in many regions. As the industry develops and more countries build-out their offshore wind capacity, FTEs will likely rise, OECD added.

Asia-Pacific dominates ocean employment, while Africa is the fastest-growing region

Furthermore, OECD data shows that global ocean economy employment is concentrated in the large population centres of Asia. Countries in Asia and the Pacific contributed over two-thirds of the global ocean economy employment. China and India alone generated just under 56 million FTEs combined, or roughly 40% of the global total.

While Asia-Pacific dominates in absolute terms, growth in FTEs in Asia-Pacific remained roughly flat, with an annual average growth rate estimated at minus 0.9%. In fact, Africa has seen the fastest annual average FTE growth rate between 1995 and 2020, with 3.4% for Sub-Saharan Africa and 1.8% for Northern Africa and Western Asia, which also includes countries in the Middle East. In contrast, ocean economy employment declined in Europe and North America, with negative annual average FTE growth rates of 2.2% and 2.5%, respectively.

Sectoral trends by region

In all regions except Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Northern Africa and Western Asia, the highest annual average FTE growth rates were recorded in offshore oil and gas extraction and offshore industry, despite the activity group’s relatively small contribution to total regional FTEs.

Maritime transport and maritime ports posted the most impressive growth rates of all ocean economic activity groups in Asia-Pacific and Northern Africa and Western Asia, where marine and coastal tourism dominates total FTEs.

OECD analysis suggests that the biggest ocean economy employers in particular regions are not growing quickly, if at all. In marine and coastal tourism – the dominant ocean economy employer in all regions in gross terms – positive average growth in FTEs occurred in only two regions. In Sub-Saharan Africa, average activity group FTE growth at 3.7% ranks just above marine fishing, marine aquaculture and marine fishing processing in second to last place. In Latin America and the Caribbean, the same result comes in at a mere 0.5%.

The future of ocean economy employment – automation, skills and resilience

Employers and employees are likely to face significant opportunities and challenges in the coming decades, as the ocean economy is undergoing rapid technological transformation. Advances such as autonomous vehicles and AI-powered port logistics for example, are driving productivity increases in maritime industries by displacing traditional roles such as dock workers and crew members.

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At the same time, emerging industries such as offshore wind and marine biotechnology are creating new demand for specialised skills that may outpace the capacity of existing training pipelines and leave critical skills gaps.

Especially in coastal communities, local jobs that rely on marine and maritime services may also be a risk from domestic and international outsourcing. These growing pressures highlight the need for governments and businesses to invest in proactive planning, inclusive upskilling strategies, and support for vulnerable workers during transitions to build resilient and future-ready ocean economy workforces, OECD concluded.