Looking to hire in the logistics industry? You need to make sure you’re making the right choice first.

Before you nail down your hiring strategy, you should gain a good understanding of the current hiring trends in the logistics industry.

The Importance of Logistics

Make no mistake, the logistics sector is one of the UK’s most important industries. In fact, it makes up a significant portion of the UK’s job market, employing over 2 million people.

The logistics sector contributes heavily to the UK’s presence in both local and international markets.

Understanding the following trends will benefit you on your journey to building a dynamic, high-quality team.

Around 1 in 12 UK workers operate in logistics, but what does this mean in terms of hiring?

There’s certainly a large market, but logistics businesses are still struggling to hire the right people for certain roles. Many of them fail to adapt to current trends in the industry and, as a result, lose out on top candidates to competitors.

So what are some of the key logistics recruitment trends to look out for when you’re looking to hire new talent?

Technological Advancements

Most industries advance alongside their technology, and logistics is certainly no different. Technology is integral in carrying out processes and as technology becomes more and more advanced, logistics processes has the potential to become more streamlined. Technology offers new opportunities for logistics workers, with modern cloud technology often being the centre of attention.

Cloud technology can completely change the way businesses operate as it allows businesses to work more efficiently, storing critical information online for access anywhere. This presents a big opportunity for logistics firms that conduct work on an international scale.

In terms of the near future, developments in modern drone technology are set to make a big splash in the logistics sector. As drones become more advanced, their potential for use in logistics is growing exponentially. One promising potential use for drones in the near future is for delivery. Drones can feasibly be used by companies to deliver to people’s homes with minimal human input. In fact, this is something that Amazon is currently testing for wider use through their ‘Prime Air’ initiative.

It’s become more advantageous for logistics workers to have a good understanding of the technology in the industry and how to utilise it. There’s also an increasing need for workers to become multi-skilled in order to keep up with the highly competitive market and the consequences of the rising incorporation of technology. This means that everyone is after the cream of the crop, but there’s only so much to go around.

Customer Attitude Changes

One of the biggest impacts on the logistics industry has been how customers’ attitudes have changed along with new technology. Modern technology allows people to receive services more quickly and directly than ever before. Because of this, logistics firms may feel the pressure to keep up or risk losing out to competitors who can.

There’s also an increasing emphasis on customer service due to the greater amount of interaction with customers, face-to-face, over the phone, and especially online.

Skill Shortages In Logistics Hiring

One of the main challenges regarding logistics recruitment trends is the increasing number of skills required and the general skill shortages found in certain functions. Data suggests that over 67,000 logistics workers are thought to have skill gaps which impact their proficiency in their role. Employers report that the skills that are most in demand include technical, organisational, and problem-solving skills. 

In addition, attracting new, young talent is becoming an increasingly worrying issue for many logistics firms. With less than 10% of the industry’s workforce being under 25 years old, there’s a huge drive to attract fresh talent to the sector. It’s thought that one of the biggest factors in the struggle to attract young talent is the image the industry holds.

This is why employer branding is so important in logistics.

To attract promising young talent, employers need to dispel outdated assumptions they have of the industry. Businesses can do this through strong branding and by appealing specifically to this audience through their job advertisements.

This means that top talent is extremely valuable. Employers need to make sure their recruitment processes are the best they can be. Employers need to stand out with their job advertisements by creating appeal not just for their opportunity, but for their whole organisation. Now more than ever, the industry’s top talent are looking for appealing businesses over the specifics of the roles they’re applying to. They’re looking for their dream employer, so job adverts need to showcase employer branding, not just the role.

Hiring Issues

40% of Transportation companies say that hiring staff is their biggest challenge and in 2017 a massive 77% of haulage companies struggled to fill vacancies for Drivers. This presents a significant issue as Driver roles make up a large section of the logistics workforce.

One major challenge is that most organisations are all fishing from the same pond, meaning quality talent gets snapped up quickly and businesses are desperate to find the right candidates in the long term.

In addition, many ads are posted on the wrong boards or on not enough boards to attract the desired talent. The placement of a job advertisement directly affects the quality of the candidates received. Posting in the right places is the first step to getting ahead of your competitors.

As talent attraction issues in logistics rise, employers need to pay more attention to producing high-quality, targeted job adverts that stand out and sell their business.

But how can businesses solve these hiring issues?

One of the key factors in appealing to the right candidates is an attractive job advertisement. Many adverts posted to job boards don’t feature any form of employer branding, making them less likely to attract top talent. Job adverts that feature employer branding stand out from the crowd and allow candidates to understand the employer, and as such generally receive a much higher number of quality applicants.

Are You Making The Right Choice?

So are you making the right choice when it comes to your hiring strategy?

There are a few key tips to remember when hiring the best candidates in the logistics industry;

• Don’t limit yourself to just one big job board
• Don’t ignore specialist boards
• Be proud of your employer brand in your advertisements
• Make sure your adverts are well written
• Make sure your adverts contain the right keywords so they can be found by the right candidates

Through our job advertisement service at Hiring Wizard, we ensure your advertisements are well optimised, branded with your company name and logo, and posted in all the right places. All for the same cost as a single job ad on one of the main job boards.

Overall, the trends in logistics indicate the future is bright for the industry. By gaining an awareness of the latest trends in the logistics industry you can optimise your recruitment process and increase your chances of finding the right people for your business.