Current Snapshot of HR Trends in Logistics

We spoke to Gurleen Bajwa, Human Resource Business Partner – Western Canada at Bollore Logistics about the trends he's seeing in hiring

Remote work, hybrid job policies, and increased demand have given job seekers new areas of leverage when it comes to looking for work. On the flipside, a recession, the desire for stability and growth opportunities means the tide may be shifting in employers’ favour.

We spoke to Gurleen Bajwa, Human Resource Business Partner – Western Canada at Bolloré Logistics - a CITT Endorsed Logistics Employer company - about the trends he's seeing in hiring.

Gurleen Bajwa
Human Resource Business Partner – Western Canada
Bolloré Logistics

 

Change may be here to stay

Despite recent large-scale shakeups in the employment sector overall over Q1 of 2023, Covid-era changes to the employer / employee relationship appear to be permanent. In particular, the pandemic era gave employees time to reflect on how they were being treated by their current employers, along with opportunities for retrospection on personal touchpoints such as living arrangements and career prospects.

What’s more, as companies in virtually every sector, transportation included, scrambled to staff up through 2021-2022, job seekers were courted at previously unprecedented levels. People found themselves on the receiving end of perks, vacation days and leave options, and simply got used to being in demand with companies vying for their favour.

The logistics of the employee relationship

While this has begun to shift back in employers’ favour (again due to very public job Q1 job losses), for the ever-expanding transportation industry, job seekers, especially the more elite, can still afford to be picky.

From our point of view, companies operating in the sector will need to continue to be more considerate of a candidate’s expectations than they may have been, pre-pandemic. In order to attract and retain top talent, the employee value proposition will need to go beyond compensation to give more weight to work / life balance, and remote or hybrid work situations.

The recession factor

Another factor that may have a major impact on HR in the transportation sector is a recession and associated economic slowdown. In addition to generating a lot of press, the recession factor may slow the flow of employees jumping ship from one company to another. As everyone knows, new hires are typically the first to be let go when business slows down, so people with stable jobs may be more hesitant to seek opportunities elsewhere.

Faced by the prospect of brakes being applied to transportation and logistics, companies may also become more reluctant to staff up with new hires, only to have to let them go down the road if shipping also slows. This overall uncertainty for both parties may mean the ball stays more in employers’ courts as we move through 2023.

Trend watch: the “discovery” of Supply Chain as an industry

Another interesting trend we’ve seen in transportation and logistics over the last number of months, is the “discovery” of supply chain as an industry in and of itself. Perhaps because of the rise in Amazon shipping, drop shipping and sustained press about the price of shipping goods, HR reps report young job seekers entering our industry as a second or even third career down the line. With transportation growth continuing to trend upward, it stands to reason.

The future of remote work in logistics and transportation

Finally, while remote work looks like it is probably here to stay, two sides to the equation are emerging. For junior employees, training and development outside of an office environment comes into question. ON the other hand, for more established employees, people learned over Covid that when working remote, they can pick their kids up from school or day-care and, for the same salary, can live two hours from their office where life might be much cheaper.

Suffice it to say, for workers and employers it seems that in 2023, HR all boils down to logistics.

If your company is looking for ways to improve your HR strategy to recruit, engage and retain top logistics talent, CITT can help! You can explore our blog for more human resources-related content, or learn about CITT's programs and services that support recruitment & retention, as well as learning & development, including our Endorsed Logistics Employer program. If you're currently looking to hire, post your job via our Job Posting Form to get your role in front of qualified supply chain and logistics professionals in Canada.