Fishing: Employment

ILO’s strategic objective: Create greater opportunities for women and men to secure decent employment and income

There are over 30 million fishers worldwide. Of these, over 15 million are working full time on board fishing vessels.  The vast majority of fishers work on rather small vessels.  For example, it has been estimated that 95% work on vessels less than 24 metres in length. Most fishers (over 80%) are in Asia.

The employment relationship in the fishing sector

The employment relationship for most fishers and fishing vessel owners differs from that of shoreside workers – and often from that of other maritime workers.   Many, if not most, fishers are considered to be  self-employed. Many fishers are engaged only partly in fishing and derive the rest of their income from agricultural or other occupations.

The Work in Fishing Convention, 2007 (No. 188) contains provisions important to the issue of the employment relationship.  See in particular: Articles 16 to 20, which concern the fisher’s work agreement; Article 22, which concerns recruitment & placement and private employment agencies; and Articles 23 and 24, which concern payment of fishers. Annex II concerns the particulars of a fisher’s work agreement. 

Additional resources

• The ILO and employment