Report: transport offices face digital skills gap

An ageing and undiverse workforce means that the logistics sector may face a ‘digital skills gap’ in the near future, according to an industry insight paper published by recruitment agency Blue Arrow.

Authored by respected transport consultant Kirsten Tisdale, the paper – Logistics Workforce Sustainability: Why Workforce Demographics Could Shape the Future of UK Logistics – points out that the makeup of the driving workforce – overwhelmingly white, male and older – is also reflected elsewhere in the industry.

She asks: “Is this profile the result of the sector’s lack of attractiveness or down to longstanding cultural norms and workplace cultures?

“The question is not simply whether logistics can fill today’s vacancies. It’s whether it is building a workforce capable of meeting tomorrow’s operational demands.”

She argues that transport managers have a higher age profile than managers in sectors such as retail.

“This age profile across various occupations in transport results in at least two different problems: a digital skills gap and the longer-term sustainability for these businesses,” she warns.

“Understanding where demographic risks exist, whether that is age concentration, diversity gaps, retention challenges or succession weaknesses, is often the first step towards improvement.

“Representation alone is not enough. Organisations also need inclusive cultures where people from different backgrounds can thrive, progress and build long-term careers. Understanding employee experience is just as important as understanding workforce demographics.”

Ms Tisdale highlights a real gap in staff profiles between large and small companies, and says the latter may be at risk in the future through lack of digital skills in the back office.

“In the smaller companies, it’s much more likely that there will be family members, long term staff, low turnover and former drivers running the office – decades of good operational experience. Meanwhile, the white-collar staff in mega-3PLs, in planning and management, are more likely to come from different backgrounds – school leavers, apprentices and early-career professionals, never been drivers, but coming into office with digital skills.”

She argues that: “Attracting younger workers will mean making logistics more visible, more accessible and easier to understand as a career choice. That includes clearer career pathways, apprenticeships, entry-level routes into transport and warehousing, technology-led roles, practical flexibility where possible and employer branding that shows the sector as modern, essential and progressive.

“For many businesses, the opportunity is to start positioning logistics as a career with progression, purpose and future-facing skills.”

The report can be accessed at the Blue Arrow website.