As investment in the blue economy increases, the promise of economic revitalisation along coastlines is gaining traction. Annually, the ocean economy has an estimated turnover of between US$3 and 6 trillion, which includes employment, ecosystem services, and cultural services. Fisheries and aquaculture alone provide $US100 billion per year and add approximately 260 million jobs to the global economy. The demand for blue economy workers is expanding fastest in sectors that require technical expertise, digital skills, and multidisciplinary experience. For instance, the wind energy sector in the EU alone can create 150,000 new jobs by 2030. In the Indian Ocean region, investments in port-led development and tourism under initiatives like India’s Sagarmala programme and Indonesia’s Tourism Development Project are expected to create hundreds of thousands of jobs. However, a persistent skills mismatch threatens to limit this growth. Many coastal communities lack access to training which equips them for emerging roles; without targeted interventions, the blue economy risks reproducing inequalities wherein high-value jobs go to external labour markets. One of the most effective ways to ensure that coastal communities can access and benefit from high-growth blue economy sectors is to invest in targeted and localised skills development programmes. Encouragingly, there are many successful examples of governments, industries, and training institutions working together with coastal youth to build skills needed for maritime sectors.
Bridging the Skills Gap: Coastal Jobs in a Growing Blue Economy
