Results just published from a study launched in 2011 by private research group Semaphores puts the added value of activities linked to the port at €3.5 billion. In addition, the number of directly or indirectly related jobs was shown to have risen to 43,500 – up 5% from 41,300 since a review carried out in 2007 by another independent body.
The new results echo a report produced late last year by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which also underlined the port’s major impact on employment and the economy.
Focused on industry, port professions and logistics, port-related employment now represents 8% of private sector jobs in the Bouches-du-Rhone region, where 22% of industrial employees are linked to the port. This workforce of 16,000 is 6% lower than in 2007 due to the world economic crisis, but the port professionals total grew 5% to 13,100 and logistics personnel soared 12% to 11,500 with the opening of new warehousing and distribution hubs such as Distriport.
Since 2007, employment linked to the port has been further reinforced by the development of overland and maritime logistics activities in neighbouring areas. Notably, the Marseilles urban area is home to more than 18,000 port-related workers, with 75% of these involved in port professions. In contrast, areas with a more industrial bias have seen a 2-3% drop in port-related employment.
The study also included a first-ever examination of the port’s impact on employment in five northern zones of the city. It found that 13,000 employees in 506 companies were linked to the port, representing 18.5% of the total workforce in these areas. Meanwhile the Fos port-industrial zone was shown to employ 9,800 people across 165 companies.
The port’s economic impact is expected to grow still further in the coming years, largely due to initiatives to increase container traffic and encourage port-related developments in the region. The Marseilles Fos port authority intends to monitor progress by forming partnerships with academic institutions and local authorities.