Next to rising costs, the shortage of labour and skills in the industry tops the agenda for many warehouse operators. At UKWA we have continued to press Government at every opportunity to provide more support to the sector on this issue. Most recently, we co-ordinated a joint campaign with other industry trade bodies to request that logistics and warehousing be considered as part of the Shortage Occupation List (SOL) review. To date our pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
We need and deserve support on this issue as one of the fastest growing industries in the UK’s economy. Many businesses are struggling to manage growing consumer demand as e-commerce fulfilment has changed the way warehouses operate. We require bigger spaces and more people – and contrary to popular belief, automation and robotics is not the whole solution.
Accordingly, UKWA has joined partners St. Modwen Logistics and Savills to launch a major survey into jobs and skills in the industrial and logistics sector. The objective is to gather firm data so we can make representations to Government in response to the call for evidence on its ‘Future of Freight Plan’.
Essentially, it is vital that Government understands the immense value of warehouses and warehouse work to the economy and recognises the challenges of attracting and retaining staff. We have the potential to be an engine of social mobility, with accessible entry level jobs and huge opportunities for progression. But too many politicians dismiss our jobs because they don’t appreciate the possibilities. Until there is a clear grasp of what our industry needs at policy making level, nothing will change.
This major research project, ‘The Big Industrial & Logistics Skills Survey 2023’, will include qualitative interviews with selected companies and a wider survey of occupiers of industrial and logistics properties across England and Wales. It will help us gather the robust data and case studies required to challenge current misconceptions about employment within the sector, provide information about the relationship between warehouses, automation and employment, and ensure our needs are taken into better account by Government.
UKWA is urging all businesses in the sector to support this important initiative and take part in the survey. The survey is confidential and will be anonymised so that individual responses can’t be identified. For each entry, participants will simply be asked to submit details about the type and number of jobs within one warehouse building and any challenges they face. It is a short survey and will hopefully allow the industry to speak with one voice.
Findings will be turned into a White Paper, which will be promoted to the media later this year. Let’s all do our part to make our voices heard and to drive real change.
TAKE PART IN THE SURVEY> www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/Y76JTKS
Clare Bottle
UKWA, CEO
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