While Europe-wide supply chain disruption may have eased off in 2023, one problem highlighted by the pandemic and wider economic factors that is yet to be resolved is the need for workers, the newly published RetailX Europe Ecommerce Region 2023 Report has found.
It revealed that 44.6mn warehouse workers will be required this year, while the global road-freight market is also struggling. Europe has an estimated 400,000 shortage of lorry drivers.
In the UK, Brexit has been cited as one of the reasons for this, although an ageing population across Europe has compounded the issue, while an image problem could be another factor.
A Proligis survey found that only 7% of young adults are currently considering a career in the sector. It also highlighted that 27% of logistics workers felt their role was highly valued by society now, compared to 62% during the pandemic.
Encouraging people of all ages into the logistics workforce is a challenge that needs to be addressed and has led some retailers to turn to social media.
Turning to TikTok
Amazon, Asda and Tesco are among a handful of retailers that have injected £30,000 each into TikTok campaigns which promote jobs in the logistics industry.
This initiative is also part of a UK government-backed scheme, Generation Logistics, which aims to attract young data analysts, robot engineers and skilled graduates to help logistics businesses meet next-day delivery demands.
“[Video] gaming skills could set you up for greatness in logistics,” said one TikTok video that has racked up 1.7mn views.
This feature originally appeared in the Logistics section of the RetailX Europe Ecommerce Region 2023 Report, download it in full to discover:
- The role of sustainability and the increasing expectation for businesses to act now rather than later
- The rise of ChatGPT
- The role of the metaverse
