It is less and less of a hard search for suitable logistics staff. According to ABN Amro, the tightness on the logistics labour market is steadily decreasing.
The bank states this in its 'State of Transport' report . In November 2018, 35 per cent of entrepreneurs in the sector said that a shortage was hampering growth. By May, that percentage had dropped to 29 per cent. So the tightness has eased slightly.
The number of jobs has barely increased since November, the figures show. In that month, the number of jobs stood at 391,000. By March, that number had grown to 392,000. That is the slowest growth since the summer of 2017. Growth in the number of job vacancies is also levelling off.
Turnover growth
Most transport industries recorded turnover growth in the first quarter of 2019. However, this growth is flattened by an increase in costs. For instance, labour costs were higher than a year earlier.
More bankruptcies
The number of bankruptcies rose 23 per cent in the second quarter of 2019 compared to a year earlier, with postal deliverers and couriers in particular going bankrupt more often. The number of bankruptcies also rose in road transport. Twenty-two companies went bankrupt in that sector, the highest number in a quarter for two years.
Uncertainty about economy
Business confidence is still slightly positive. However, uncertainty has dominated since the end of 2018, according to ABN Amro. At the beginning of 2019, there was even a slightly negative score of -0.3. The bank attributes this drop to increasing uncertainty surrounding brexit and the trade war between China and the US.
