Speaking in response to the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Plan for Jobs, Elizabeth de Jong, policy director at FTA, the business group representing logistics, said:

“There is some great news for logistics in the Chancellor’s Plan for Jobs. The fortunes of the logistics industry depend on demand being restored in the economy and the measures to boost demand in the hospitality sector gives hope to the supply chain businesses which service them.

“Protecting jobs across our sector must also be a priority, and the job retention bonus will help keep jobs while demand rebuilds across the economy. But while we welcome the increased training of younger people proposed in his speech, we are hoping for further initiatives to re-train those of all ages who have been made redundant. FTA has been campaigning for the Apprenticeship Levy to become a Skills Levy which would mean people of all ages could have the right training to meet the needs of our industry.”

FTA is one of the UK’s leading business groups, representing logistics businesses which are vital to keeping the UK trading, and more than seven million people directly employed in the making, selling and moving of goods. With COVID-19, Brexit, new technology and other disruptive forces driving change in the way goods move across borders and through the supply chain, logistics has never been more important to UK plc. FTA supports, shapes and stands up for safe and efficient logistics, and is the only business group which represents the whole industry, with members from the road, rail, sea and air industries, as well as the buyers of freight services such as retailers and manufacturers whose businesses depend on the efficient movement of goods.