Logistics companies are trying to make themselves more attractive to potential employees by offering flexible working patterns, focusing on diversity, and improving career paths, according to a report by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and Statista.
However, it warned that a lack of time and interest in training on the part of employees may hinder these efforts to retain staff.
The report found that more than half of logistics companies expect the skills shortage to get worse over the next five years.
Only four per cent of the companies surveyed expect the skills shortage to improve, while 21 per cent are uncertain about the future recruitment ability.
Vehicle drivers, warehouse workers and office staff are the most likely to be in high demand, but software engineers, project managers and executives are the hardest roles to fill, the report said.
As the logistics sector is looking to invest more in technologies to drive efficiency, software engineers in particular are proving the most difficult to recruit, with 23 per cent of logistics saying that it is “problematic” to recruit tech talent, or only possible with “considerable effort”.
42 per cent of logistics firms cite lack of job-specific skills as the main barrier to successful recruitment, with lack of work experience (29 per cent), and low wages (25 per cent) the other most common challenges.
“There needs to be more done to attract talent to the industry,” said CILT chief executive Kevin Richardson.
“Logistics is hugely important to the UK economy, and if the sector is struggling to recruit the effects will be felt by other industries that rely on logistics to operate effectively.”
