Women in logistics: more or less?

Logistics is anno 2016 still a man's world. Visit a logistics fair and chances are you will run into predominantly men. But if we are to believe the various surveys, more and more women are choosing to work in logistics. Today, on International Women's Day, time to take stock. How are women doing in logistics?

How many women are there in logistics today? And how does that compare to, say, a decade ago? Statistics Netherlands keeps track of how many men and women are employed in each sector. In 2015, the Netherlands had 175 thousand transport planners and logistics workers. Of these, only 18 per cent were women - a moderate percentage, especially when compared to 2003. Back then, 27.3 per cent of people in this profession were women. Even among logistics managers, the proportions are not anything to write home about. In the Netherlands, we counted 22 thousand logistics managers in 2015, including three thousand women (13.6 per cent). By comparison, in 2003, 14.8 per cent of logistics managers were women. So there has been a decline.

Filling talent gap
Is the low proportion of women in logistics a problem? It is if the sector wants to fill the looming talent shortage, PWC argues in its Transportation & Logistics 2030 study. Baby boomers are retiring in the coming years while the need for higher-skilled staff in robotics, analysts and logistics is only increasing. Meanwhile, the influx of talented young people remains limited. To attract sufficient talent, it is important for companies to target women. "Attracting more women in the - male-dominated - transport and logistics sector will not be easy, but companies that succeed will have access to a lot of new talent." Diversity can have further benefits for companies in Transport and Logistics, according to PWC. "It promotes innovation and creativity in the workplace."

Less often a full-time position, more often a permanent contract
Shippers' organisation EVO and Jong Logistiek Nederland (JLN) asked young talent about their ambitions in logistics in 2012. This revealed that as many as 100 per cent of the women and 97 per cent of the men surveyed aspire to a full-time position. On the other hand, only 41 per cent of women were actually offered a full-time position. Interestingly, female logisticians do get open-ended contracts more quickly. When asked whether logistics is a man's world, 73 per cent of the women surveyed replied that this is more than average.

Wage gap higher than national average
Then the wage aspect. Women working in logistics on average get paid less for the same work, the Loonwijzer/Monsterboard Wage Index showed last year. The difference is especially large among logistics managers. Men earn on average 20.3 euros per hour in the Transport and Logistics sector, while women earn an hourly wage of 19.1 euros. A difference of 10 per cent. That is higher than the average wage gap of 5.8 per cent. Still, it is striking that logistics does not score that badly compared to other sectors. In fact, in 9 (!) other sectors, the pay gap between male and female managers is even higher. Men in the financial sector, for instance, earn almost 20 per cent more than their female colleagues.

Editorial LogistiekProfs