Tension in the logistics labour market is rising. The demand for labour will rise faster than the supply of personnel in the coming period. This is according to the annual Labour Market Report of the Transport and Logistics Sector Institute.
Both professional road haulage and logistics services are experiencing sustained economic growth. However, staff shortages are hampering that growth for many companies.
No growth in supply of personnel
The sector currently employs 147,174 people. The Transport and Logistics Sector Institute expects the supply of personnel to hardly grow from 2021 onwards. Causes are retirement of employees and lower inflow from education.
Inflow
The sector hopes to counter the staff shortage by focusing on inflow (recruitment and selection) and sustainable employability. For example, side-flow and flow-through projects have already helped 2,500 extra drivers get jobs in 2018 in addition to the regular BBL inflow.
Sustainable employability
Besides the demand for new workers, the sector also wants to retain current employees. The labour market report shows that employees in transport and logistics think they will not be able to keep on working until retirement. Mentioned are issues such as physical strain and work pressure/stress. Health and lifestyle also play an important role. In addition, they would like to follow training or courses to develop themselves, improve their current work and increase their chances of getting a job in the future. The sector institute states that awareness about both employability and training is high on the sector's agenda.
You can read the annual Labour Market Report here.
