The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) has released a report recently that suggests that EU nationals for around 7% of the total UK workforce. When breaking down these figures, EU nationals account for around 18% of the people who work in the warehousing and logistics sectors.

In the UK logistics industry, there has been a labour and skills shortage to overcome for a number of years. However, despite the challenges faced by the industry long term, it is also clear that these issues have been made worse by Brexit and the knock on effect of a fall in the value of the pound. These consecutive events have led to an exodus by the Eastern Europeans that have been an integral part of ensuring the smooth operation of the warehouse and distribution sectors.

Recruiters in this industry have issued warnings that it will be impossible to find enough British people to fill the roles that are being vacated by EU nationals. There will be difficulty in filling these positions as it seems that UK nationals are both unwilling and unable to fill the void left by EU workers.

As a response to the more fluid post-Brexit employment landscape, it is vital that companies operating in the logistics industry ensure that their workers are, and remain, happy, loyal and engaged. This engagement is vital in order to maintain the staff in an industry that is highly labour intensive.

Businesses in this industry, such as DKF, have to see their employees as their greatest asset, as without them, businesses would not be able to carry out the work that they need to stay afloat. At DKF, there is an emphasis on the welfare of their staff. As a result of this focus, it is thought that the company have developed a happy and productive workforce are more eager to help the company work towards achieving their goals.