Summer jobs: Boating, a key sector for seasonal employment on the coast
Seasonal Surge: The Impact of Nautical Activities on Summer Employment
This seasonal phenomenon is far from insignificant. In 2022, employment in nautical leisure services quadrupled during the peak season compared to the winter months. This surge highlights the growing importance of this sector in the summer economy of coastal regions.
A Growing Demand for Labor Each Summer
The seasonality of nautical activity leads to a marked variation in workforce numbers throughout the year. In Corsica, the sector employs an average of 930 full-time equivalents (FTE) annually. However, during the peak of summer, this figure exceeds 4,700 FTE, according to data. This represents a 4.5-fold increase in staff to meet the rise in tourist numbers.
This need for labor is not limited to island areas alone. From Brittany to the French Riviera, and along the Atlantic coasts or the shores of the Thau lagoon, the demand for qualified or on-the-job trained personnel intensifies each summer. Marinas, nautical centers, yacht and motorboat rental companies, and providers of supervised activities are all looking to expand their teams, often urgently, to absorb the peak visitor numbers concentrated over a few weeks.
In 2024, the sector generated €5.4 billion in revenue. These solid figures reflect a structured sector, but they mask the intensity and brevity of the hiring periods. The majority of contracts are fixed-term, often for two months, and recruitment is renewed each season, raising the question of seasonal worker retention.
Concrete, Demanding Jobs with Direct Public Contact
Seasonal jobs in the nautical sector are as diverse as the activities offered. However, they share common characteristics: they almost always take place outdoors, involve direct contact with users, and require a certain amount of physical endurance. Welcoming boaters in ports, managing boat rentals, ensuring their cleaning or provisioning, supervising sailing, kayaking, or diving sessions, monitoring swimming areas… the tasks vary but all require versatility, autonomy, and responsiveness.
Certification is required for lifeguard positions. However, in many other cases, access to the position does not require any specific diploma. On the other hand, good interpersonal skills, punctuality, a team spirit, and the ability to remain calm in the face of the unexpected are highly sought after. These are often field positions, sometimes exposed to the vagaries of the weather, where it is necessary to adapt constantly.
These jobs also allow you to discover the behind-the-scenes workings of a sector that is often only known as a vacationer: the logistics of nautical bases, safety rules at sea, constraints related to boat maintenance, or environmental issues related to the frequentation of coastal areas.
A First Professional Experience with Multiple Lessons
For many young people, these summer jobs represent a first contact with the professional world. It is often the first time they have worked under time constraints, had to manage concrete responsibilities, or ensure tasks essential to the proper functioning of a service. Working early in the morning or late in the evening, managing the influx of vacationers, ensuring the safety of equipment or the reception of users… So many situations that require human qualities rarely taught, but highly valued: a sense of service, initiative, stress management, and the ability to work in a team.
However, the temporary nature of these contracts sometimes hinders retention. A recent study on employment in seaside resorts shows that this high turnover prevents employers from capitalizing on the experience gained. Each summer, it is therefore necessary to start training new recruits again, with the uncertainties that this implies.
But these experiences do not remain without consequences. At the end of the season, some employers identify promising profiles and offer them the opportunity to continue on an apprenticeship, long-term contract, or training program. This allows young people to move towards qualifying training or integrate permanently into the sector.
A Structuring Sector for Coastal Territories
The impact of nautical activities on seasonal employment is not limited to the individual. It is an entire segment of the coastal economy that relies on this annual renewal of labor. In some coastal municipalities, activities related to nautical activities represent a significant share of summer jobs. Their development promotes the economic vitality of the territories, encourages the maintenance of services open year-round, and strengthens the link between local populations and the tourism sector.
In this context, the “nautical summer job” is not just a temporary job. It plays a key role in the animation of the territories, in the transition to active life, and in the discovery of a sector with multiple opportunities, whether in tourism, port services, maintenance, or security.
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