Asian shipping companies are offering mega bonuses to employees amid a boom in freight rates, with China’s state-owned giant Cosco Shipping Holdings Co. doling out as much as as much as 60% of a manager’s annual salary, according to Caixin Global.
Cosco is among shipping companies distributing huge year-end bonuses to workers, Caixin said, citing employees at the company. Other shippers are also giving out generous rewards. A worker at Taiwan’s Evergreen Marine Corp. received a year-end bonus that was nearly 40 times their monthly salary, according to the daily.
Cosco’s earnings jumped 1,651% to 67.6 billion yuan ($10.7 billion) in the first three quarters of 2021, according to a company filing. The spot rate for a 40-foot container to the U.S. from Asia topped $20,000 last year, including surcharges and premiums, up from less than $2,000 a few years ago.