Companies in logistics will need both more and different personnel in the future. The demand for planners and ICT experts is increasing and current staff will need more digital skills. Companies in the sector seem aware of this, but are still insufficiently prepared for these developments.
So writes ABN Amro in the report 'Logistics personnel of the future'. To gain insight into the extent to which companies are responding to the challenges facing the sector, the bank conducted a survey on strategic personnel policy among sixty medium-sized enterprises.
HR policy does not match industry challenges
This shows that companies in logistics realise that technological and digital developments require different personnel and skills. However, the HR policies of those companies do not match this. "Logistics is simultaneously facing growing demand, staff shortages and fierce competition on price. Urgent issues that require a lot of management attention. This creates the risk that logistics companies are too busy with day-to-day concerns to care about the long term."
Action points personnel policy
The supply of - and budget for - training and courses is disappointing, says ABN Amro. This makes it difficult for current staff to acquire the necessary digital skills. Moreover, it is at the expense of the attractiveness of the sector for young staff who consider development important.
The report puts forward three recommendations for companies that want to keep their HR policy in line with developments:
- Have a strategic personnel policy - map what skills the company needs and how to get them
- Invest in the current workforce - the current workforce will have to deal with new technology. New knowledge, through training and courses, is needed.
- Be an attractive employer for younger, higher-skilled staff - A change in personnel policy is needed to compete with the rest of the economy for scarce young talent.
"These action points require a different approach to personnel management. This change is important for logistics companies to successfully respond to the ever faster changing economic environment," ABN Amro concludes the report.
