Transport Sector Keeps On Trucking
Employment prospects in the Transport sector stand at +2% in the third quarter, according to ManpowerGroup, the world leader in innovative workforce solutions. Despite the Outlook reducing by one percentage point on the previous quarter, there is still reason for optimism, not least as the growth of online retail continues to have a positive effect on the sector.
The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is based on responses from 2,101 UK employers. It asks whether employers intend to hire additional workers or reduce the size of their workforce in the coming quarter. It is the most comprehensive, forward-looking employment survey of its kind and is used as a key economic statistic by both the Bank of England and the UK government. The national Seasonally Adjusted Net Employment Outlook of +8% indicates that the jobs market is up on the second quarter of 2014 when the Outlook was +7%.
“We are not overly concerned by the slight drop in Outlook this quarter, which is likely to have been impacted by the trend in building distribution to recruit for the summer peak in the previous quarter, so that workers are in place for the onset of the milder weather,” says Simon Edwards, ManpowerGroup Sector Director, Logistics. “There are lots of reasons for optimism. With positivity in the Retail industry now standing at its highest level for seven years, this is having a knock-on effect for courier, warehouse and parcel delivery roles. The increasing popularity of online shopping, and the ability to return products for free or at low cost, means people are ordering in increasing volumes, and hence demand for logistics staff is firmly up. We’d expect this positivity to continue later in the year as the retail sector starts to gear up for the festive season.”
“We are also seeing growing reasons for candidates to feel more positive on pay – the Transport sector Outlook has now been in positive territory for six successive quarters, for the first time since before the recession. This consistent demand for new recruits will mean greater competition between employers to obtain the best talent in hot spot areas, giving candidates with the right skills and commitment more bargaining power on pay than there has been during the last five years,” adds Edwards.
The UK’s National Employment Outlook is at its strongest level since the downturn. With an Outlook of +8%, employers across the UK intend to take on staff in the third quarter of 2014 – and not even the uncertainty facing the future of the United Kingdom is dampening job prospects in Scotland.
The summer of sport will no doubt benefit the Retail and Leisure sector, with ManpowerGroup expecting the World Cup in Brazil to have a positive impact on UK jobs. Mark Cahill, ManpowerGroup UK Managing Director notes, “Preparation for the World Cup has boosted the Employment Outlook in Retail and Leisure to its most positive level since 2007, at +6%. It has recently been reported that Domino’s Pizza is looking to recruit 1,300 people to deliver an extra 6 million pizzas over the course of the World Cup, and with alcohol sales predicted to rise by £20m during the tournament, it’s going to be a very busy season for the leisure industry.”
