Growing employment in the logistics sector

Robin Woodbridge at Prologis UK argues that, while two-thirds of logistics workers love their jobs, the industry must focus on changing perceptions

 

Two-thirds of logistics workers actually love their jobs, according to employment research published by Prologis UK. So why aren’t more young adults considering a career in the industry?

 

As well as shedding light on how workers in the sector are feeling about the jobs they do, Prologis UK’s report Critical Infrastructure: Driving Employment Growth within the UK’s Logistics Sector reveals the growing value of the logistics industry to the UK economy.

 

Based on the latest government and industry data, the sector employs over 2 million people, about 7% of the total UK workforce and generates an estimated £139bn of economic value.

 

Prologis UK’s employment research was first conducted in 2006 and has been completed every four years since then; building up a picture of how perceptions of jobs in the sector are changing.

 

The current report reveals that while two-thirds (66%) of logistics workers love their jobs, perceptions among young adults outside of the industry are less favourable: only 7% said they would consider a career in logistics. 

 

This shows that while perceptions have shifted strongly in some areas, in others there is a still a lot of work to do to promote the high-value, diverse jobs available in the sector.

 

Among the things that logistics workers value most about their jobs are the above average earnings and strong opportunities for career progression, particularly in an industry where 63% of warehouse managers don’t have a university degree.

 

These findings underline the fact that there really are lots of opportunities for people in the logistics sector, regardless of background and education.

 

Despite some encouraging findings elsewhere, it is clear from the research that external perceptions of logistics sector roles have dropped recently in both the public and private sectors.

 

During the Covid-19 pandemic, 92% of the population viewed logistics workers positively, a figure which dropped in the latest polling to 80%. Even more starkly, positive perceptions of how workers within the sector feel society views them dropped from 62% during the pandemic to only 27% in 2022.

 

The biggest challenge facing employers in the sector at the moment is negative perceptions, and our research reveals some major differences in opinion about what it’s like to work in logistics, depending on whether you have experience of doing it or not. The research also shows that jobs are highly valued by those that do them for a variety of reasons.

 

In terms of diversity, the research shows that the proportion of women with jobs in the sector is increasing – up 15% from the 2018 figure to 39% in 2022. In their feedback, female respondents cited ‘flexible working’ as an important benefit, in addition to ‘convenient locations’.

 

Furthermore, 12% of employees in the sector are non-native English speakers and 20% of workers were unemployed before beginning their role in the sector.

 

While headlines about higher-than-average rates of pay and improving diversity are helping to promote jobs in logistics, much more needs to be done to ensure this is understood by wider society.

 

Jobs in logistics are varied, and the pace of technological advancement in areas like automation, as well as AI and machine learning, are opening up opportunities for career advancement, and adding to the sector’s overall appeal.

 

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Robin Woodbridge is Head of Capital Deployment and Leasing at Prologis UK. Read Prologis UK’s report, Driving Employment Growth within the UK’s Logistics Sector here

 

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com