Employment prospects in the transport sector remains in positive territory, with a score of +2 per cent for the third quarter of 2013, according to Manpower survey, The Employment Outlook.
Although the figure represents a decline of 14 per cent on last quarter’s Outlook, the company says it shows that the sector is still planning to hire throughout the summer.
The survey sees 2,101 UK employers questioned about whether they intend to increase or reduce the size of their workforce in the coming economic quarter. It is used as a key economic statistic by the Bank of England, as well as the UK government.
“While recent data continues to point to a struggling high street, the popularity of online shopping is proving to be encouraging for employment prospects in the transport sector, said Simon Edwards, Manpower sector director, logistics.
“Large volumes of home deliveries are creating strong demand for Category B van drivers, as well as drivers of larger 7.5 tonne vehicles.
“Demand in the Category B segment is particularly encouraging – drivers don’t need a licence upgrade to drive these vehicles, so there are lower barriers to entry. This is helping to attract a more diverse workforce into the sector, with younger and female drivers applying.”
The country’s national Employment Outlook also remains within positive territory, with a result of +5 per cent.
Outlooks by sectors showed that Finance and Business Services hit a 15-month high of +14 per cent, while Retail, Wholesale, Restaurants and Hotels remained at the bottom with just +1 per cent.
