Recruiting for Logistics and Freight.
Introduction
Back in February of this year, we conducted market research on people’s views towards careers. We spoke to a representative sample of 1001 UK residents, allowing us to report on ‘the population.’
Considering a New Career
We found that 41% of the 18 to 34 year olds in UK are considering a career change in 2022 and over half of the population are to do it in the next 5 years. From those willing to find a new job, 3 out of 4 are either Gen Z or Millennials.
Also, people living in London/SouthEast have a higher predisposition to change careers this year than in the rest of the UK – 31% vs 25%. And, in general, parents have longer-term plans when considering changing jobs – 38% would consider it in the next 3 to 5 years vs just 24% of those without children.
Logistics’ Perception as a Career’s Choice
The logistics’ sector in the UK has been struggling to hire staff for HGV and lorry driver roles for a few months now after it was hit by Covid and Brexit. With this research, our insights team wanted to identify how the public viewed logistics as a new career path and if they would consider it in the near future.
The good news is that 20% of the public expressed their interest in pursuing a career in logistics; however, this sector was the least attractive out of a list of 7 choices (including other industries, such as Tech, Healthcare, Finance, Civil Service, Tourism & Hospitality)
Considering this, we decided to take a further look. When genders were compared of those that were interested in a career in logistics, 28% were males vs a 14% of females – doubling the pool.
Also, depending on age and location, interest varies as follows:
- 24% of 18 to 34 year-olds vs 21% of 35 to 54 year-olds
- 27% currently living in bigger cities vs 17% in small towns
As we can see, the proportion of those interested generally leans towards younger males who are city/urban dwellers. When considering your targeting in your recruitment strategy, these are important factors to keep in mind.
Though the female population is less interested in logistics, curiosity regarding the sector has been growing recently due to the use of TikTok. Female HGV and lorry drivers are utilising the platform to increase awareness of the role’s perks you can expect within the industry. Accounts such as @beckygiles and @clarissarankin have been utilising the video platform to encourage women to join the sector, and they’re receiving a lot of engagement.
What Would Persuade the UK Public into a Career in Logistics
- 33% – Flexible working hours
- 24% – Financial help with training costs
- 16% – Career progression opportunities
- 15% – Interesting routes
- 46% – None of these
Now that we know who is interested in the sector, knowing what would entice them can only help strengthen your recruitment campaign. If your company offers any of the above, this is worth including in your job descriptions or recruitment ads.
Job Applications: The New Trends
We wanted to learn more about how people are applying for jobs. We found that most people applied for their current job through their company’s site, closely followed by Indeed, and showing a very small percentage – only 5%- that got their last job via social media (LinkedIn or Facebook).
However, when asked how they will apply for their next role, even though Indeed is still at the top with a 40%, LinkedIn and Facebook are also amongst the top choices (21% and 11% respectively) emphasizing the importance of having an effective digital recruitment campaign utilising the right social media channels.
So, if you are looking to hire new candidates for your Logistics/Freight company, we hope these statistics will help you tailor your recruitment ads towards those most likely to apply.
However, if you need extra assistance in this area, Crunch can help.
Have a Chat with our Experts
Our experts have extensive experience running leading-edge and cost-effective digital recruitment campaigns. We work alongside businesses to recruit the best talent whilst providing the knowledge to succeed in a competitive market.
We would love to look at your current recruitment campaign and offer a free workshop to guide you through the following:
- Make you aware of the tools you can use to source and extract top talent ahead of your competitors.
- Highlight the tactics you need to implement to discover candidates quickly.
- How to find people who are actively & passively searching for relevant jobs in real-time.
- Maximising your website’s potential to reduce hiring time.
- Using automation to get live data and power fast recruitment decisions.
Interested? Get in touch today.
